Method and apparatus for monitoring ash accumulation in a particulate filter of an emission abatement assembly

ABSTRACT

A method of monitoring ash buildup in a particulate filter includes determining particulate accumulation in the filters subsequent to filter regeneration to determine when the filter is in need of servicing to remove ash there from. An emission abatement assembly is also disclosed.

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/536,327, filed on Jan. 13,2004 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/546,139 filedon Feb. 20, 2004, the entirety of both of which is hereby incorporatedby reference.

CROSS REFERENCE

Cross reference is made to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/931,028 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Cooling the Components ofa Control Unit of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H. Crawleyand Randall J. Johnson; Ser. No.10/931,091 entitled “Method andApparatus for Monitoring Engine Performance as a Function of SootAccumulation in a Filter” by Randall J. Johnson and Wilbur H. Crawley;Ser. No. 10/931,008 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Shutting Down aFuel-Fired Burner of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H.Crawley and Randall J. Johnson; Ser. No. 10/931,090 entitled “Method andApparatus for Controlling the Temperature of a Fuel-Fired Burner of anEmission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H. Crawley, Randall J. Johnson,and Samuel N. Crane, Jr.; Ser. No. 10/931,092 entitled “EmissionAbatement Assembly and Method of Operating the Same” by Wilbur H.Crawley and Randall J. Johnson; Ser. No. 10/931,020 entitled “Method andApparatus for Cleaning the Electrodes of a Fuel-Fired Burner of anEmission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H. Crawley, Randall J. Johnson,Stephen P. Goldschmidt, and Edward C. Kinnaird; Ser. No. 10/931,017entitled “Method and Apparatus for Operating an Airless Fuel-FiredBurner of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by William Taylor, III, YougenKong, Mert E. Berkman, Jon J. Huckaby, and Samuel N. Crane, Jr.; Ser.No. 10/931,009 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Directing Exhaust GasThrough a Fuel-Fired Burner of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by WilburH. Crawley, Randall J. Johnson, Yougen Kong, John Abel, Shoja Farr,Nicholas Birkby, and David Pearson; Ser. No. 10/931,025 entitled “Methodand Apparatus for Starting up a Fuel-Fired Burner of an EmissionAbatement Assembly” by Wilbur H. Crawley and Randall J. Johnson; Ser.No. 10/931,027 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Controlling aFuel-Fired Burner of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by William Taylor,III, Yougen Kong, Wilbur H. Crawley, and Randall J. Johnson; Ser. No.10/931,026 entitled “Method and Apparatus for Determining Accumulationin a Particulate Filter of an Emission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H.Crawley and Randall J. Johnson; and Ser. No. 10/931,088 entitled “Methodand Apparatus for Monitoring the Components of a Control Unit of anEmission Abatement Assembly” by Wilbur H. Crawley, Randall J. Johnson,and Navin Khadiya each of which is assigned to the same assignee as thepresent application, each of which is filed concurrently herewith, andeach of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to diesel emission abatementdevices.

BACKGROUND

Untreated internal combustion engine emissions (e.g., diesel emissions)include various effluents such as NO_(x), hydrocarbons, and carbonmonoxide, for example. Moreover, the untreated emissions from certaintypes of internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, alsoinclude particulate carbon-based matter or “soot”. Federal regulationsrelating to soot emission standards are becoming more and more rigidthereby furthering the need for devices and/or methods which remove sootfrom engine emissions.

The amount of soot released by an engine system can be reduced by theuse of an emission abatement device such as a filter or trap. Such afilter or trap is periodically regenerated in order to remove the soottherefrom. The filter or trap may be regenerated by use of a burner orelectric heater to burn the soot trapped in the filter.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect of the disclosure, an emission abatementassembly includes a pair of fuel-fired burners. Both of the fuel-firedburners are under the control of a single control unit. The fuel-firedburners may be selectively operated by the control unit to regenerateparticulate filters.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of monitoring afuel-fired burner during filter regeneration includes determining thetemperature of the heat being produced by the burner and adjusting theamount of fuel supplied to the burner based thereon. A predeterminedtemperature range may be used with the amount of fuel supplied to theburner being adjusted if the temperature is outside of the predeterminedtemperature range. An electronic controller configured to control thefuel-fired burner in such a manner is also disclosed. Temperaturemeasurements may be obtained by use of a temperature sensor.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a control unit forcontrolling operation of a fuel-fired burner is disclosed. The controlunit includes a housing having an air inlet which is open to an interiorchamber of the housing. An air pump is positioned in the interiorchamber of the housing and has an air inlet which is open to theinterior chamber of the control unit's housing. The air pump generatesreduced air pressure in the interior chamber which draws air into thehousing and into the pump's inlet. This flow of air cools an electroniccontroller along with other components position in the housing. In oneexemplary embodiment, the air pump draws air from the interior chamberof the housing and supplies the air to a combustion chamber of thefuel-fired burner to facilitate operation of the burner. An associatedmethod of advancing air to a fuel-fired burner is also disclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating afuel-fired burner of an emission abatement assembly is disclosed. Themethod includes supplying a reduced amount of fuel to the fuel-firedburner in response to detection of a burner shutdown request. Such areduced fuel supply continues for a predetermined time period afterwhich fuel is no longer supplied to the burner. In the exemplaryembodiment described herein, the supply of both combustion air andatomization air, along with spark generation, continues for a period oftime after the fuel is shutoff. After a period of time, combustion airis no longer supplied to the burner, but atomization air continues to besupplied and spark generation is maintained. After a period of time, thesupply of atomization air is shutoff and spark generation ceases. In theexemplary embodiment described herein, a supply of cleaning air issubstantially continuously supplied to the fuel-fired burner to reduce,or even prevent, clogging of the burner's fuel inlet nozzle. Anelectronic controller configured to control the components of theemission abatement assembly in such a manner is also disclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of monitoringengine performance as a function of soot accumulation in a particulatefilter includes determining characteristics of soot accumulation in thefilter, analyzing the characteristics, and generating an error signal ifthe characteristics are indicative of predetermined engine performanceconditions. In one exemplary embodiment, the rate in which sootaccumulates in the filter may be monitored. An increase in the rate inwhich soot accumulates in the filter (beyond predetermined limits) maybe indicative of an engine condition such as excess oil usage or astuck/leaking fuel injector. An electronic controller configured tomonitor soot accumulation in such a manner is also herein disclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a smoke detector is usedto detect the presence of fuel particles and/or smoke in the interiorchamber of the control unit. If the presence of fuel particles and/orsmoke is detected, the control unit may be shutdown thereby potentiallyavoiding damage to the control unit. A method of monitoring output fromsuch a smoke detector is also disclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a temperature sensor isused to monitor the temperature within the interior chamber of thecontrol unit. If the temperature exceeds a predetermined uppertemperature limit, the control unit may be shutdown thereby potentiallyavoiding damage to the control unit. A method of monitoring output fromsuch a temperature sensor is also disclosed.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a fuel pressuresensor is used to monitor fuel pressure in a fuel return line associatedwith the control unit's fuel pump. If fuel pressure in the return lineexceeds a predetermined upper pressure limit, the control unit may beshutdown thereby potentially avoiding damage to the control unit. Amethod of monitoring output from such a fuel pressure sensor is alsodisclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of monitoringash buildup in a particulate filter includes determining particulateaccumulation in the filters subsequent to filter regeneration andgenerating an error signal if particulate accumulation exceeds apredetermined threshold. The particulate matter remaining in the filtersubsequent to filter regeneration may be attributable to ash. As such,by monitoring the amount of particulate matter in the filter relativelysoon, if not immediately, after filter regeneration, a determination maybe made as to when the filter is in need of servicing to remove ashtherefrom. An electronic controller configured to monitor ash buildup insuch a manner is also disclosed.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the electronic controllerof the emission abatement assembly is electrically coupled to an enginecontrol unit of an internal combustion engine. The electronic controllermay be coupled to the engine control unit via a communications interfacesuch as a Controller Area Network or “CAN” interface. In such a way,information may be shared between the electronic controller of theemission abatement assembly and the engine control unit.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofoperating a fuel-fired burner includes monitoring the temperature at theoutlet of a particulate filter during a filter regeneration cycle andadjusting operation of the fuel-fired burner if the filter outlettemperature exceeds a predetermined limit. In one embodiment, thefuel-fired burner is shutdown if the filter outlet temperature exceedsthe predetermined limit. Prior to, or in lieu of, shutdown of theburner, the amount of fuel supplied to the fuel-fired burner may bereduced if the filter outlet temperature exceeds the predeterminedlimit.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method ofstarting up a fuel-fired burner of an emission abatement assemblyincludes lowering the fuel rate being supplied to the burner once flameignition is detected. The fuel rate is maintained at this lower level asthe assembly preheats. Once preheated, the fuel level is ramped up to apredetermined operational fuel level.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the electrodes of afuel-fired burner are energized for a predetermined period of time priorto the introduction of fuel into the burner thereby removing any soot orother debris deposited on the electrodes.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the operating conditionsof the engine are monitored to facilitate airless filter regeneration.In one specific implementation, filter regeneration occurs when engineoperating conditions are within a predetermined range.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, the exhaust gas flowentering through the gas inlet port of the fuel-fired burner isseparated into a combustion flow which is advanced through thecombustion chamber, and a bypass flow which bypasses the combustionchamber.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, soot loading in aparticulate filter is monitored as a function of exhaust mass flow.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of an on-highway truck with anemission abatement assembly installed thereon;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the soot abatement assemblies ofthe emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the end of the soot abatement assemblyas viewed in the direction of the arrows of line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the soot abatement assembly of FIG.2 taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, as viewed in the direction of thearrows;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the fuel-fired burner ofthe soot abatement assembly of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the control unit of the emissionabatement assembly of FIG. 1, note that the cover has been removed forclarity of description;

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the control unit of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the emission abatement assembly of FIG.1;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring operation ofthe fuel-fired burners of the emission abatement assembly during afilter regeneration cycle;

FIG. 10 is an exemplary temperature graph which demonstrates aspects ofthe control routine of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring the filteroutlet temperature during a filter regeneration cycle;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring engineperformance as a function of soot accumulation in the particulatefilters of the emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 13 is an exemplary delta pressure versus time graph whichdemonstrates aspects of the control routine of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring ash buildupin the particulate filters of the emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a control routine for shutting down thefuel-fired burners of the emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 16 is an exemplary fuel level versus time graph which demonstratesaspects of the control routine of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring fuel pressurein the control unit's fuel return line;

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring the outputfrom the control unit's smoke detector;

FIG. 19 is a flowchart of a control routine for monitoring the outputfrom the control unit's temperature sensor;

FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic view of another emission abatement assembly;

FIG. 21 is view similar to FIG. 20, but showing the emission abatementassembly configured with a diesel oxidation catalyst positioned upstreamof the filter substrate;

FIGS. 22 and 23 are diagrammatic views showing the fuel-fired burner ofthe assemblies of FIGS. 20 and 21 in greater detail;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing a portion of the combustionchamber of the assemblies of FIGS. 20 and 21 in greater detail;

FIG. 25 is an elevation view of the portion of the combustion chamber ofFIG. 24 as viewed in the direction of arrow 25-25 of FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 is an elevation view of a gas distributor;

FIG. 27 is a view similar to FIGS. 22 and 23, but showing a differentembodiment of the combustion chamber;

FIG. 28 is an elevation view of a gas distributor;

FIG. 29 is a diagrammatic view showing both the engine and the emissionabatement assembly under the control of the engine control unit of theengine;

FIG. 30 is a flowchart of a control routine for starting up thefuel-fired burners of the emission abatement assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 31 is an exemplary fuel level versus time graph which demonstratesaspects of the control routine of FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a flowchart of a control routine for cleaning the electrodesof the fuel-fired burner;

FIG. 33 is a flowchart of a control routine for regenerating an airlessfuel-fired burner;

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of a control routine for triggering filterregeneration;

FIG. 35 is a diagrammatic view of another emission abatement assembly;

FIGS. 36-43 are views similar to FIG. 5, but showing the fuel-firedburner with modification thereto;

FIG. 44 is a development view of a plate which may be positioned aroundthe combustion chamber; and

FIG. 45 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the plate of FIG. 44positioned around the combustion chamber.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

As will herein be described in more detail, an emission abatementassembly 10 for use with an internal combustion engine, such as thediesel engine of an on-highway truck 12, includes a pair of sootabatement assemblies 14, 16 under the control of a control unit 18. Asshown in FIG. 1, each of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 has afuel-fired burner 20, 22 and a particulate filter 24, 26, respectively.The fuel-fired burners 20, 22 are positioned upstream (relative toexhaust gas flow from the engine) from the respective particulatefilters 24, 26. During operation of the engine, exhaust gas flowsthrough the particulate filters 24, 26 thereby trapping soot in thefilters. Treated exhaust gas is released into the atmosphere throughexhaust pipes 28, 30. From time to time during operation of the engine,the control unit 18 selectively operates the fuel-fired burner 20 toregenerate the particulate filter 24 and the fuel-fired burner 22 toregenerate the particulate filter 26.

Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, the soot abatement assembly 14 is shown ingreater detail. It should be appreciated that the soot abatementassembly 14 is substantially identical to the soot abatement assembly16. As such, the discussion relating to the soot abatement assembly 14of FIGS. 2-5 is relevant to the soot abatement assembly 16.

As shown in FIG. 5, the fuel-fired burner 20 of the soot abatementassembly 14 includes a housing 32 having a combustion chamber 34positioned therein. The housing 32 includes an exhaust gas inlet port36. As shown in FIG. 1, the exhaust gas inlet port 36 is secured to aT-shaped exhaust pipe 38 which conducts exhaust gas from the dieselengine of the truck 12 to both soot abatement assemblies 14, 16.

The combustion chamber 34 has a number of gas inlet openings 40 definedtherein. Engine exhaust gas is permitted to flow into the combustionchamber 34 through the inlet openings 40. In such a way, an ignitionflame present inside the combustion chamber 34 is protected from thefull engine exhaust gas flow, while controlled amounts of engine exhaustgas are permitted to enter the combustion chamber 34 to provide oxygento facilitate combustion of the fuel supplied to the burner 20. Exhaustgas not entering the combustion chamber 34 is directed through a numberof openings 42 defined in a shroud 44 and out an outlet 46 of thehousing 32.

The fuel-fired burner 20 includes an electrode assembly having a pair ofelectrodes 48, 50. As will be discussed in greater detail herein, theelectrodes 48, 50 are electrically coupled to igniters of the controlunit 18. When power is applied to the electrodes 48, 50, a spark isgenerated in the gap 52 between the electrodes 48, 50. Fuel enters thefuel-fired burner 20 through a fuel inlet nozzle 54 and is advancedthrough the gap 52 between the electrodes 48, 50 thereby causing thefuel to be ignited by the spark generated by the electrodes 48, 50. Itshould be appreciated that the fuel entering the nozzle 54 is generallyin the form of a controlled air/fuel mixture.

The fuel-fired burner 20 also includes a combustion air inlet 56. Aswill be discussed in greater detail herein, an air pump associated withthe control unit 18 generates a flow of pressurized air which isadvanced to the combustion air inlet 56 via an air line 58 (see FIG. 1).During regeneration of the particulate filter 24, a flow of air isintroduced into the fuel-fired burner 20 through the combustion airinlet 56 to provide oxygen (in addition to oxygen present in the exhaustgas) to sustain combustion of the fuel.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the particulate filter 24 is positioneddownstream from the outlet 46 of the housing 32 of the fuel-fired burner20 (relative to exhaust gas flow). The particulate filter 24 includes afilter substrate 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the substrate 60 is positionedin a housing 62. The filter housing 62 is secured to the burner housing32. As such, gas exiting the burner housing 32 is directed into thefilter housing 62 and through the substrate 60. The particulate filter24 may be any type of commercially available particulate filter. Forexample, the particulate filter 24 may be embodied as any known exhaustparticulate filter such as a “deep bed” or “wall flow” filter. Deep bedfilters may be embodied as metallic mesh filters, metallic or ceramicfoam filters, ceramic fiber mesh filters, and the like. Wall flowfilters, on the other hand, may be embodied as a cordierite or siliconcarbide ceramic filter with alternating channels plugged at the frontand rear of the filter thereby forcing the gas advancing therethroughinto one channel, through the walls, and out another channel. Moreover,the filter substrate 60 may be impregnated with a catalytic materialsuch as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material. The catalyticmaterial may be, for example, embodied as platinum, rhodium, palladium,including combinations thereof, along with any other similar catalyticmaterials. Use of a catalytic material lowers the temperature needed toignite trapped soot particles.

The filter housing 62 is secured to a housing 64 of a collector 66.Specifically, an outlet 88 of the filter housing 62 is secured to aninlet 68 of the collector housing 64. As such, processed (i.e.,filtered) exhaust gas exiting the filter substrate 60 (and hence thefilter housing 62) is advanced into the collector 66. The processedexhaust gas is then advanced into the exhaust pipe 28 and hence releasedto the atmosphere through a gas outlet 70. It should be appreciated thatthe gas outlet 70 may be coupled to the inlet (or a pipe coupled to theinlet) of a subsequent emission abatement device (not shown) if thetruck 12 is equipped with such a device.

Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, there is shown the control unit 18 ingreater detail. The control unit 18 includes a housing 72 which definesan interior chamber 112. Numerous components associated with the controlunit 18 are positioned in the interior chamber 112 of the housing 72.For ease of description, a sealed cover 74 (see FIG. 1) has been removedfrom the housing in FIGS. 6 and 7 to expose the components within thehousing 72. The control unit 18 includes an electronic control unit(ECU) or “electronic controller” 76. The electronic controller 76 ispositioned in the interior chamber 112 of the housing 72. The electroniccontroller 76 is, in essence, the master computer responsible forinterpreting electrical signals sent by sensors associated with theemission abatement assembly 10 (and in some cases, the engine 80) andfor activating electronically-controlled components associated with theemission abatement assembly 10. For example, the electronic controller76 is operable to, amongst many other things, determine when one of theparticulate filters 24, 26 of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 is inneed of regeneration, calculate and control the amount and ratio of airand fuel to be introduced into the fuel-fired burners 20, 22, determinethe temperature in various locations within the soot abatementassemblies 14, 16, operate numerous air and fuel valves, and communicatewith an engine control unit 78 associated with the engine 80 of thetruck 12.

To do so, the electronic controller 76 includes a number of electroniccomponents commonly associated with electronic units utilized in thecontrol of electromechanical systems. For example, the electroniccontroller 76 may include, amongst other components customarily includedin such devices, a processor such as a microprocessor 82 and a memorydevice 84 such as a programmable read-only memory device (“PROM”)including erasable PROM's (EPROM's or EEPROM's). The memory device 84 isprovided to store, amongst other things, instructions in the form of,for example, a software routine (or routines) which, when executed bythe processor 80, allows the electronic controller 76 to controloperation of the emission abatement assembly 10.

The electronic controller 76 also includes an analog interface circuit86. The analog interface circuit 86 converts the output signals from thevarious sensors (e.g., temperature sensors) into a signal which issuitable for presentation to an input of the microprocessor 82. Inparticular, the analog interface circuit 86, by use of ananalog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) or the like, converts theanalog signals generated by the sensors into a digital signal for use bythe microprocessor 82. It should be appreciated that the A/D convertermay be embodied as a discrete device or number of devices, or may beintegrated into the microprocessor 82. It should also be appreciatedthat if any one or more of the sensors associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10 generate a digital output signal, the analoginterface circuit 86 may be bypassed.

Similarly, the analog interface circuit 86 converts signals from themicroprocessor 82 into an output signal which is suitable forpresentation to the electrically-controlled components associated withthe emission abatement assembly 10 (e.g., the fuel injectors, airvalves, igniters, pump motor, etcetera). In particular, the analoginterface circuit 86, by use of a digital-to-analog (D/A) converter (notshown) or the like, converts the digital signals generated by themicroprocessor 82 into analog signals for use by theelectronically-controlled components associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10. It should be appreciated that, similar to the A/Dconverter described above, the D/A converter may be embodied as adiscrete device or number of devices, or may be integrated into themicroprocessor 82. It should also be appreciated that if any one or moreof the electronically-controlled components associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10 operate on a digital input signal, the analoginterface circuit 86 may be bypassed.

Hence, the electronic controller 76 may be operated to control operationof the fuel-fired burners 20, 22. In particular, the electroniccontroller 76 executes a routine including, amongst other things, aclosed-loop control scheme in which the electronic controller 76monitors outputs of the sensors associated with the emission abatementassembly 10 to control the inputs to the electronically-controlledcomponents associated therewith. To do so, the electronic controller 76communicates with the sensors associated with the emission abatementassembly to determine, amongst numerous other things, the temperature atvarious locations within the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 and thepressure drop across the filter substrate 60. Armed with this data, theelectronic controller 76 performs numerous calculations each second,including looking up values in preprogrammed tables, in order to executealgorithms to perform such functions as determining when or how long thefuel injectors are operated, controlling the power level input to theelectrodes 48, 50, controlling the air advanced through combustion airinlet 56, etcetera.

The control unit 18 also includes an air pump 90. The air pump 90 isdriven by an electric motor 92 which is under the control of theelectronic controller 76. The motor 92 drives a pulley 94 which in turndrives the air pump 90. A signal line 96 electrically couples the airpump 90 to the electronic controller 76. The outlet 98 of the air pump90 is coupled to an inlet 100 of an electronically-controlled air valve102 via an air line 104. A first outlet 106 of the air valve 102 iscoupled to the combustion air inlet 56 of the fuel-fired burner 20 viaone of the air lines 58, whereas a second outlet 108 of the air valve102 is combustion air inlet 56 of the fuel-fired burner 22 via the otherair line 58.

The air valve 102 is electrically coupled to the electronic controller76 via a signal line 110. As such, the electronic controller 76 maycontrol position of the valve 102. In particular, the electroniccontroller 76 may position the air valve 102 in either a first valveposition in which combustion air from the air pump 90 is directed to thefuel-fired burner 20 or a second valve position in which combustion airfrom the air pump 90 is directed to the fuel-fired burner 22. As willherein be described in greater detail, the controller 76 operates theair valve 102 to direct combustion air to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22associated with the particulate filter 24, 26 undergoing regeneration.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the inlet 114 of the air pump 90 is open tothe interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72. As such, the airpump 90 draws air from the interior chamber 112 of the control housing72. The control housing 72 has an air inlet 116. The air inlet 116 isopen to the interior chamber 112. An air filter 118 is secured to thehousing 72 and is positioned to filter air being drawn into the interiorchamber 112 through the air inlet 116. When operated, the air pump 90generates reduced air pressure in the interior chamber 112 therebydrawing air from the atmosphere through the filter 118, the air inlet116, and into the interior chamber 112. Air in the interior chamber 112is then drawn into the pump inlet 114 and pumped to the air valve 102.When the cover 74 is secured in place (see FIG. 1), the housing 72 issubstantially sealed such that substantially all of the air drawn intothe interior chamber 112 by the air pump 90 is drawn through the filter118 (and hence the air inlet 116).

Since both the pump inlet 114 and the housing inlet 116 are open to theinterior chamber 112 (as opposed to being coupled to one another, forexample, by an air hose or other type of conduit), a flow of air isgenerated in the interior chamber 112 as air advances from the housinginlet 116 to the pump inlet 114. Such an arrangement facilitates coolingof the electronic controller 76 since the controller 76 is exposed to atleast a portion of the air flow in the interior chamber 112. Inparticular, the electronic controller 76 generates heat during operationthereof. Heat from the electronic controller 76 is transferred to theair advancing through the interior chamber 112 thereby cooling theelectronic controller 76. Such an arrangement facilitates the placementof the controller 76 in the housing 72 (as opposed to positioning thecontroller outside the housing 72 to be exposed to atmospherictemperatures). Moreover, in certain embodiments, cooling the electroniccontroller 76 in such a manner eliminates the need for heatsinks orother heat dissipating devices.

The control unit 18 also includes a fuel delivery assembly 120configured to supply a desired mixture of air and fuel (“air/fuelmixture”) to the fuel-fired burners 20, 22. In particular, thefuel-fired burners 20, 22 combust or otherwise process fuel in the formof a mixture of air and fuel. As is defined in this specification, theterm “air/fuel mixture” is defined to mean a mixture of any amount ofair and any amount of fuel including a “mixture” of only fuel. Moreover,the term “air-to-fuel ratio” is intended to mean the relationshipbetween the air component and the fuel component of such air/fuelmixtures.

One illustrative embodiment of the fuel delivery assembly 120 willherein be described in greater detail. However, it should be appreciatedthat such a description is exemplary in nature and that the fueldelivery assembly 120 may be embodied in numerous differentconfigurations.

In the illustrative embodiment described herein, the fuel deliveryassembly 120 includes a fuel pump 122 which draws diesel fuel from afuel tank 124 of the truck 12 via a fuel line 126. A fuel filter 128filters the fuel drawn from the tank 124. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, themotor-driven pulley 94 drives an input shaft 130 of the fuel pump 122.As such, the motor 92 drives both the air pump 90 and the fuel pump 122.

The fuel pump 122 supplies a pressurized flow of fuel to a pair ofelectronically-controlled fuel injectors 132, 134. As shown in FIG. 8, asignal line 136 electrically couples the fuel injector 132 to theelectronic controller 76 thereby allowing the controller 76 to controloperation of the injector 132. Similarly, a signal line 138 electricallycouples the fuel injector 134 to the electronic controller 76 therebyallowing the controller 76 to control operation of the injector 134.

An electronically-controlled fuel enable valve 140 selectively allowsfuel to be supplied to the fuel injectors 132, 134 from the fuel pump122. Specifically, when positioned in an open valve position, the fuelenable valve 140 allows fuel to be advanced to the fuel injectors 132,134. However, when the fuel enable valve 140 is positioned in a closedvalve position, fuel is not supplied to the fuel injectors 132, 134.Fuel pumped by the pump 122, but not supplied to the injectors 132, 134,is returned to the truck's fuel tank 124 via a fuel return line 142. Thefuel enable valve 140 is electrically coupled to the electroniccontroller 76 via a signal line 144. The electronic controller 76generates output signals on the signal line 144 to control operation(e.g., position) of the fuel enable valve 140.

The fuel injectors 132, 134 are selectively operated by the electroniccontroller 76 to inject quantities of fuel into a mixing chamber 146where the fuel is mixed with air to produce an air/fuel mixture having adesired air-to-fuel ratio which is then delivered to the fuel inletnozzle 54 of the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 by a pair of fuel lines 148,150. Specifically, the electronic controller 76 generates output signalson the signal line 136 which cause the fuel injector 132 to inject aspecific desired quantity of fuel into the mixing chamber 146 where thefuel mixes with air and is delivered to the fuel inlet nozzle 54 of thefuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line 148. Similarly, the electroniccontroller 76 generates output signals on the signal line 138 whichcause the fuel injector 134 to inject a specific desired quantity offuel into the mixing chamber 146 where the fuel mixes with air and isdelivered to the fuel inlet nozzle 54 of the fuel-fired burner 22 viathe fuel line 150.

In the exemplary embodiment described herein, the air delivered to themixing chamber 146 is supplied from a pressurized air source 150associated with the truck 12. For example, the pressurized air source150 may be the truck's pneumatic brake pump(s). Pressurized air from theair source 150 is supplied to the control unit 18 via an air line 152. Apair of electronically-controlled air valves 154, 156 control the amountof air supplied to the mixing chamber 146.

The air valve 154 supplies a flow of cleaning air which, as describedherein in greater detail, is generally constantly supplied to the mixingchamber 146 during operation of the engine 80 of the truck 12. Such aflow of air prevents the accumulation of debris (e.g., soot) in the fuelinlet nozzles 54 of the fuel-fired burners 20, 22. Such a flow ofcleaning air may be pulsed at relatively high pressure for shortinterval of time to reduce clogging of the nozzles 54 with soot or otherdebris. For example, under software control, the cleaning air flow maybe pulsed such that the air is supplied at, for example, 60 psi for 15seconds, and then shutoff (or reduced in pressure) for 45 seconds, andthen pulsed again, and so on. It has been found that such rapidincreases in air pressure create a force or “shock” which facilitatessoot removal.

As shown in FIG. 8, the air valve 156 is positioned in a parallel flowarrangement with the cleaning air valve 154. The air valve 156 suppliesa flow of air which is summed with the air flow from the cleaning airvalve 154. This combined flow of air is used for fuel atomization duringoperation of the fuel-fired burners 20, 22. As such, during regenerationof one of the particulate filters 24, 26, both the atomization air valve156 and the cleaning air valve 154 are positioned in their respectiveopen valve positions to supply air to the mixing chamber 146 to atomizethe fuel injected into the mixing chamber 146 by the fuel injectors 132,134.

The cleaning air valve 154 is electrically coupled to the electroniccontroller 76 via a signal line 158. The electronic controller 76generates output signals on the signal line 158 to control operation(e.g., position) of the cleaning air valve 154. Similarly, theatomization air valve 156 is electrically coupled to the electroniccontroller 76 via a signal line 160. The electronic controller 76generates output signals on the signal line 160 to control operation(e.g., position) of the atomization air valve 156.

As shown in FIG. 8, air exiting the air valves 154, 156 is supplied tothe mixing chamber 146 via an air line 162. A pressure transducer 164senses the air pressure in the air line 162. The output from thetransducer 164 is communicated to the electronic controller 76 via asignal line 166. The output from the transducer 164 may be used by theelectronic controller 76 to verify that a desired air flow is beingsupplied to the mixing chamber 146. For example, in the exemplaryembodiment described herein, the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuelmixture being supplied to the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 is varied byvarying the amount of fuel injected into the mixing chamber 146 with theamount of air supplied to the mixing chamber 146 remaining substantiallyconstant. As such, the output from the pressure transducer 164 may bemonitored by the electronic controller 76 to confirm that the desired,substantially constant flow of air is being supplied to the mixingchamber 146.

As described above, fueling of the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 is adjustedby altering the amount of fuel added to a substantially constant flow ofatomization air. For example, to increase the amount of fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20 (i.e., to decrease the air-to-fuelratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20), theelectronic controller 76 operates the fuel injector 132 to increase theamount of fuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146 with theamount of air being introduced into the mixing chamber 146 remainingsubstantially constant. Similarly, to increase the amount of fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 22 (i.e., to decrease the air-to-fuelratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20), theelectronic controller 76 operates the fuel injector 134 to increase theamount of fuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146 with theamount of air being introduced into the mixing chamber 146 remainingsubstantially constant.

Conversely, to decrease the amount of fuel being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 20 (i.e., to increase the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20), the electroniccontroller 76 operates the fuel injector 132 to decrease the amount offuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146 with the amount of airbeing introduced into the mixing chamber 146 remaining substantiallyconstant. To decrease the amount of fuel being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 22 (i.e., to increase the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20), the electroniccontroller 76 operates the fuel injector 134 to decrease the amount offuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146 with the amount of airbeing introduced into the mixing chamber 146 remaining substantiallyconstant.

As shown in FIG. 8, a pressure regulator 168 regulates the fluidpressure in the mixing chamber 146. Specifically, the pressure regulator168 ensures that a predetermined pressure is not exceeded in the mixingchamber 146. For example, in many commercial systems, air from thetruck's pressurized air source 150 is present at 90 psi. The pressureregulator 168 reduces the pressure of the air delivered to the mixingchamber 146 to a lower level such as, for example, 40 psi.

The control unit 18 also includes a pair of ignition devices or igniters170, 172. The igniters 170, 172 are electrically coupled to theelectronic controller 76 via signal lines 174, 176, respectively. Assuch, the controller 76 may selectively generate control signals on thesignal lines 174, 176 to control operation of the igniters 170, 172. Theigniter 170 is electrically coupled to the electrodes 48, 50 of thefuel-fired burner 20 via a high voltage cable 178, whereas igniter 172is electrically coupled to the electrodes 48, 50 of the fuel-firedburner 22 via a high voltage cable 180. Actuation of the igniter 170causes a spark to be generated in the gap 52 between the electrodes 48,50 of the fuel-fired burner 20 thereby igniting the air/fuel mixtureentering the burner 20 through the fuel inlet nozzle 54. Similarly,actuation of the igniter 172 causes a spark to be generated in the gap52 between the electrodes 48, 50 of the fuel-fired burner 22 therebyigniting the air/fuel mixture entering the burner 22 through the fuelinlet nozzle 54.

The igniters 170, 172 may be embodied as any type of device suitable togenerate the spark across the electrode gap 52 of the electrodes 48, 50.For example, the igniters 170, 172 may be embodied as one or more of thedevices disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/737,333(Attorney Docket No. 9501-73714, ArvinMeritor Docket No. 03MRA0454)entitled “Power Supply and Transformer” which was filed on Dec. 16, 2003by Stephen P. Goldschmidt and Wilbur H. Crawley. The entirety of thispatent application is hereby incorporated by reference.

As alluded to above, the electronic controller 76 monitors the output ofa number of sensors associated with the soot abatement assemblies 14,16. For example, each of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 includes aflame temperature sensor 182, a control temperature sensor 184, and aoutlet temperature sensor 186. The temperature sensors 182, 184, 186 areelectrically coupled to the electronic controller 76 via signal lines188, 190, 192, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 2-5, the temperaturesensors 182, 184, 186 may be embodied as thermocouples which extendthrough the housings of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16, althoughother types of sensors may also be used.

The electronic controller 76 monitors output from the flame temperaturesensor 182 to detect or otherwise determine presence of an ignitionflame in the combustion chamber 34 of the fuel-fired burner 20, 22.Specifically, when the electronic controller 76 initiates ignition ofthe fuel-fired burner 20, 22, the controller 76 may monitor output fromthe flame temperature sensor 182 to ensure that the air/fuel mixtureentering the burner 20, 22 is being ignited by the spark from theelectrodes 48, 50. An error signal is generated if the output of theflame temperature sensor does not meet a predetermined criteria.

The electronic controller 76 monitors output from the controltemperature sensor to adjust the fueling of the fuel-fired burner 20, 22to maintain the temperature of the heat exerted the particulate filter24, 26 within a predetermined temperature range. For example, atemperature control range may be designed that allows for sufficientheat to adequately regenerate the particulate filter 24, 26, while alsopreventing the filter 24, 26 from being exposed to excessivetemperatures that may damage the filter 24, 26. It should be appreciatedthat a temperature control range may be designed to meet many otherobjectives.

An exemplary temperature control routine 200 for controlling thefuel-fired burners 20, 22 during filter regeneration is shown in FIGS. 9and 10. The control routine 200 begins with step 202 in which theelectronic controller 76 determines the temperature of the heatgenerated by the burner. In particular, the electronic controller 76scans or otherwise reads the signal line 190 to monitor output from thecontrol temperature sensor 184. Once the electronic controller 76 hasdetermined the temperature of the heat being generated by the fuel-firedburner 20, 22, the routine 200 advances to step 204.

In step 204, the electronic controller 76 determines if the sensedtemperature of the heat generated by the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 iswithin a predetermined temperature control range. In particular, asdescribed herein, a predetermined temperature control range may beestablished. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, a targettemperature (e.g., 650° C. if the particulate filter 24, 26 isnon-catalyzed or 350° C. if the filter 24, 26 is catalyzed) may beutilized in conjunction with a predetermined upper and lower controllimit (see FIG. 10). As such, in step 204, the electronic controller 76determines if the sensed temperature of heat generated by the fuel-firedburner 20, 22 is within the predetermined temperature control range(i.e., less than the upper limit and greater than the lower limit). Ifthe temperature of the heat generated by the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 iswithin the predetermined temperature control range, the control routine200 loops back to step 202 to continue monitoring the output from thecontrol temperature sensor 184. However, if the temperature of the heatgenerated by the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is not within thepredetermined temperature control range, a control signal is generatedand the control routine 200 advances to step 206 if the temperature ofthe heat generated by the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is above the uppercontrol limit or step 208 if the temperature of the heat generated bythe fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is below the lower control limit.

In step 206, the electronic controller 76 decreases the fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. To do so, the electroniccontroller 76 increases the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixturebeing supplied to the burner 20, 22 by reducing the amount of fuel beinginjected into the mixing chamber 146 by the fuel injectors 132, 134. Forexample, to decrease the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner20, the electronic controller 76 generates a control signal on thesignal line 136 that reduces the amount of fuel being injected by thefuel injector 132 into the mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing theair-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line 148. Similarly, to decrease thefuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22, the electroniccontroller 76 generates a control signal on the signal line 138 thatreduces the amount of fuel being injected by the fuel injector 134 intothe mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22 via the fuelline 150. Once the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22has been decreased, the control routine advances to step 210.

In step 210, the electronic controller 76 determines if the out-of-rangecondition in step 206 is a repeat occurrence. More specifically, thecontroller 76 determines if a predetermined number of temperaturereadings have been outside of the temperature control range. Inparticular, the electronic controller 76 monitors the results ofprevious fuel adjustments to determine if the fuel-fired burner 20, 22has returned to operation within the predetermined temperature controlrange. If the controller 76 determines that a predetermined number oftemperature readings have been outside of the temperature control range,the electronic controller 76 concludes that the fuel-fired burner 20, 22cannot be brought back into control, an error signal is generated, andthe control routine 200 advances to step 212. Otherwise, the controlroutine 200 loops back to step 202 to continue monitoring operation ofthe fuel-fired burner 20, 22 during filter regeneration.

In step 212, the electronic controller 76 shuts down the fuel-firedburner 20, 22. In particular, since the electronic controller 76concluded in step 210 that the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 cannot bebrought back into control, the controller 76 ceases to supply fuel tothe affected burner 20, 22, ceases to generate a spark between theelectrodes 48, 50, or otherwise ceases operation of the affected burner20, 22.

Referring back to step 204, if the temperature of the heat generated bythe fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is below the lower control limit, thecontrol routine advances to step 208. In step 208, the electroniccontroller 76 increases the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner20, 22. To do so, the electronic controller 76 decreases the air-to-fuelratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20, 22 byincreasing the amount of fuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146by the fuel injectors 132, 134. For example, to increase the fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, the electronic controller 76generates a control signal on the signal line 136 that increases theamount of fuel being injected by the fuel injector 132 into the mixingchamber 146 thereby decreasing the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuelmixture being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line148. Similarly, to increase the fuel being supplied to the fuel-firedburner 22, the electronic controller 76 generates a control signal onthe signal line 138 that increases the amount of fuel being injected bythe fuel injector 134 into the mixing chamber 146 thereby decreasing theair-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 22 via the fuel line 150. Once the fuel being suppliedto the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 has been increased, the control routineadvances to step 210 to determine if control of the fuel-fired burnerhas been regained in the manner previously discussed.

Output from the outlet temperature sensor 186 may also be utilized bythe electronic controller 76 to control operation of the fuel-firedburner 20, 22 during regeneration of the particulate filter 24, 26. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 11, a control routine 250 may be executedby the electronic controller 76 during filter regeneration. The controlroutine 250 begins with step 252 in which the electronic controller 76determines the temperature at the outlet of the particulate filter 24,26. In particular, the electronic controller 76 scans or otherwise readsthe signal line 192 to monitor output from the outlet temperature sensor186. Once the electronic controller 76 has determined the temperature atthe outlet of the particulate filter 24, 26, the routine 250 advances tostep 254.

In step 254, the electronic controller 76 determines if the sensedfilter outlet temperature is above a predetermined upper temperaturelimit. If the filter outlet temperature is below the upper temperaturelimit, the control routine 250 loops back to step 252 to continuemonitoring output from the outlet temperature sensor 186. However, ifthe filter outlet temperature is above the upper control limit, thecontrol routine 250 advances to step 256.

In step 256, the electronic controller 76 shuts down the fuel-firedburner 20, 22. In particular, since the electronic controller 76concluded in step 254 that the filter outlet temperature was above theupper control limit, the controller 76 ceases to supply fuel to theaffected burner 20, 22, ceases to generate a spark between theelectrodes 48, 50, or otherwise ceases operation of the affected burner20, 22. The control routine 250 then advances to step 258.

In steps 258 and 260, the electronic controller 76 determines if thefilter outlet temperature has cooled to a temperature below the uppercontrol limit. In particular, in step 258 the electronic controller 76scans or otherwise reads the signal line 192 to monitor output from theoutlet temperature sensor 186 to determine the temperature at the outletof the particulate filter 24, 26. Once the electronic controller 76 hasdetermined the temperature at the outlet of the particulate filter 24,26, the routine 250 advances to step 260.

In step 260, the electronic controller 76 determines if the sensedfilter outlet temperature is still above the predetermined uppertemperature limit. If the filter outlet temperature is still above theupper control limit, the control routine 250 loops back to step 258 tocontinue monitoring output from the outlet temperature sensor 186.However, if the filter outlet temperature is now below the uppertemperature limit, the control routine 250 advances to step 262.

In step 262, the electronic controller 76 restarts the fuel-fired burner20, 22. In particular, since the electronic controller 76 concluded instep 260 that the filter outlet temperature is now below the uppercontrol limit, the controller 76 commences to supply fuel to theaffected burner 20, 22, generates the spark between the electrodes 48,50, and otherwise re-commences operation of the affected burner 20, 22.The control routine 250 then loops back to step 252 to monitor operationof the burner 20, 22.

The electronic controller 76 also monitors the output of a number ofpressure sensors associated with the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16.For example, each of the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 includes afilter inlet pressure sensor 264 and a filter outlet pressure sensor 266(see FIG. 8). The pressure sensors 264 and 266 are electrically coupledto the electronic controller 76 via signal lines 268 and 270,respectively. The pressure sensors 264, 266 may be embodied as any typeof pressure sensing device such as, for example, commercially availablepressure transducers.

Regeneration of the particulate filters 24, 26 may be commenced as afunction of output from the pressure sensors 264, 266. For example, thepressure sensors 264, 266 may be utilized to sense the pressuredifference across the particulate filter 24, 26 (i.e., the “pressuredrop” across the filter) to determine when the filter 24, 26 requiresregeneration. Specifically, when the pressure drop across one of theparticulate filters 24, 26 increases to a predetermined value, thefilter regeneration process may be commenced for that particular filter24, 26. It should be appreciated that the pressure sensors 264, 266 maybe embodied as a single sensor. In particular, a single sensor whichmeasures a differential pressure may be used. Such sensors have twoinput ports, one of which measures pressure upstream of the filter, theother of which measures pressure downstream of the filter. In operation,such a sensor measures the pressure difference between its ports andgenerates an output relating to the same. Moreover, it should also beappreciated that in certain embodiments, a single pressure sensor oneither side of particulate filter 24, 26 may be utilized. In such aconfiguration, output from the single pressure sensor is monitored todetermine when pressure exceeds a predetermined upper threshold or isbelow a predetermined lower threshold (as opposed to monitoring thepressure drop across the filter).

It should be appreciated that the control scheme utilized to initiatefilter regeneration may be designed in a number of different manners.For example, a timing-based control scheme may be utilized in which theregeneration of the particulate filters 24, 26 is commenced as afunction of time. For instance, regeneration of particulate filters 24,26 may be performed at predetermined timed intervals.

The output from the pressure sensors 264, 266 may also be used inconjunction with other information to trigger regeneration of theparticulate filters 24, 26. For example, the pressure drop across thefilter 24, 26, as a function of the exhaust mass flow from the engine80, may be used to trigger filter regeneration. To do so, a data table(e.g., a map) of the particulate filter 24, 26 is first experimentallygenerated. To generate such a map, the pressure drop across the filter24, 26 as a function of exhaust mass flow at various particulate (soot)loadings is mapped. Specifically, the filter 24, 26 is first impregnatedwith a given amount of soot. Such an amount of soot may be indicative ofa desired loading that would necessitate regeneration. For instance, ifit is desirable to regenerate a particular type of particulate filter24, 26 when it is loaded with, for example, 5.0 grams/liter, the filterbeing utilized to experimentally generate the map is first pre-loadedwith such an amount of soot (i.e., 5.0 grams/liter). Once pre-loaded,the pressure drop across the filter is experimentally measured at aplurality different exhaust mass flows. A lookup table (e.g., a map) canthen be generated which includes a plurality of the experimentallyderived pressure drop values each of which corresponds to one of theplurality of different exhaust mass flow values. Such a map may beprogrammed into the controller 76.

The map of such experimentally derived pressure drop values may then beused to determine when to trigger regeneration. In particular, duringoperation of the engine 80, the controller 76 may determine the currentpressure drop across the filter 24, 26 and exhaust mass flow from theengine 80. As described herein, the pressure drop may be determined bymonitoring output from the pressure sensors 264, 266. As described ingreater detail below, the controller 76 may determine exhaust mass flowby monitoring the output from a mass flow sensor 892 (see FIG. 8), suchas a hot wire mass flow sensor. It should be appreciated that thecontroller 76 may communicate with the mass flow sensor 892 directly, ormay obtain the output from the sensor 892 from the engine control unit78 via a CAN interface 314 (the CAN interface 314 is described ingreater detail below). Alternatively, exhaust mass flow may becalculated by the controller 76 in a conventional manner by use ofengine operation parameters such as engine RPM, turbo boost pressure,and intake manifold temperature (along with other known parameters suchas engine displacement). It should be appreciated that the controller 76may itself calculate the mass flow, or may obtain the calculated massflow from the engine control unit 78 via the CAN interface 314.

Once the controller 76 has determined both the pressure drop across theparticulate filter 24, 26 and the exhaust mass flow from the engine 80,the controller 76 queries the lookup table (i.e., the map) to retrievethe experimentally created limit value which corresponds to the sensed(or calculated) exhaust mass flow of the engine 80. The controller 76then compares the sensed pressure drop across the particulate filter 24,26 to the retrieved limit value. If the sensed pressure drop across thefilter 24, 26 exceeds the retrieved limit value, the controller 76determines that the filter 24, 26 is in need of regeneration andcommences a regeneration cycle.

An exemplary control routine 860 for triggering filter regenerationbased on the pressure drop across the filter as a function of exhaustmass flow is shown in FIG. 34. The routine 860 commences with step 862in which the electronic controller 76 determines the pressure drop (ΔP)across the particulate filter 24, 26. Specifically, the controller 76monitors the output from the pressure sensors 264, 266 and thereaftercalculates the pressure drop (ΔP) across the filter. The control routine860 then advances to step 864.

In step 864, the controller 76 determines the exhaust mass flow from theengine 80. As described above, the controller 76 may determine theexhaust mass flow by monitoring the output from the mass flow sensor892, or by calculating it with the use of engine operation parameterssuch as engine RPM, turbo boost pressure, and intake manifoldtemperature (along with other known parameters such as enginedisplacement). In either case, once the controller determines theexhaust mass flow, the control routine advances to step 866.

In step 866, the controller 76 queries the lookup table (i.e., thefilter map) to retrieve the experimentally created limit value whichcorresponds to the sensed (or calculated) exhaust mass flow (asdetermined in step 864). Once the controller 76 has retrieved the limitvalue from the lookup table, the control routine 860 advances to step868.

In step 868, the controller 76 compares the sensed pressure drop acrossthe particulate filter 24, 26 (as determined in step 862) to theretrieved limit value. If the sensed pressure drop across the filter 24,26 exceeds the retrieved limit value, the controller 76 concludes thatthe filter 24, 26 is in need of regeneration, and the control routine860 advances to step 870. If the sensed pressure drop across the filter24, 26 does not exceed the retrieved limit value, the control routine860 loops back to step 860 to continue monitoring accumulation in thefilter 24, 26.

In step 870, the controller 76 commences filter regeneration.Specifically, the electronic controller 76 operates the fuel-firedburner 20, 22 to regenerate the particulate filter 24, 26 in any of thenumerous manners described herein. Once filter regeneration is complete,the control routine 870 ends.

The output from the pressure sensors 264, 266 may also be utilized tomonitor performance of the engine 80. In particular, characteristics ofsoot accumulation within the particulate filters 24, 26 may beindicative of certain engine performance characteristics. For example,excessive or otherwise irregular soot accumulation in the particulatefilters 24, 26 may be indicative of excessive oil usage by the engine80. Excessive or otherwise irregular soot accumulation in theparticulate filters 24, 26 may also be indicative of a stuck or leakyengine fuel injector. The electronic controller 76 may be configured tomonitor and analyze the output from the pressure sensors 264, 266 todetermine if any such engine conditions exist.

It should be appreciated that if a given design utilizes methods ordevices other than pressure sensors to determine soot accumulationwithin the particulate filters 24, 26, the output from such methods ordevices may be monitored and analyzed to determine if any such engineconditions exist. As such, although an exemplary embodiment of a controlscheme for monitoring engine performance as a function of sootaccumulation in the filters 24, 26 based on output from the pressuresensors 264, 266 will now be described in greater detail, it should beappreciated that such a description is not intended to be limited toonly pressure sensor-based systems.

Referring now to FIG. 12, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of acontrol routine 300 for monitoring engine performance as a function ofsoot accumulation within the particulate filters 24, 26. The routinecommences with step 302 in which the electronic controller 76 determinesthe rate of soot accumulation within the particulate filters 24, 26. Inparticular, during operation of the engine 80, the pressure drop acrossthe particulate filters 24, 26 (ΔP) is continuously monitored by thecontroller 76. Specifically, at a predetermined frequency, the outputfrom pressure sensors 264, 266 is read so that the pressure drop (ΔP)may be calculated and thereafter stored in a table in a memory device(e.g., RAM or other memory device associated with the electroniccontroller 82). Over time, the pressure drop (ΔP) may be tracked. Forexample, a graphical representation which tracks the pressure drop (ΔP)across one of the filters 24, 26 as a function of time is shown in FIG.13. In the exemplary embodiment described herein, the rate of sootaccumulation may be determined by tracking the pressure drop (ΔP) overtime as indicated with the line 312 in the graphical representation ofFIG. 13. Once the electronic controller 76 has determined the rate ofsoot accumulation within the soot particulate filter 24, 26, the routine300 advances to step 304.

In step 304, the electronic controller 76 analyzes the rate of sootaccumulation within the particulate filter 24, 26. In the exemplaryembodiment described herein, the controller 76 analyzes the rate of sootaccumulation within the particulate filter 24, 26 by analyzing the slopeof the line 312 generated by tracking the pressure drop (ΔP) over time.For example, if the slope of the line 312 remains relatively constant(i.e., within predetermined limits deemed to be indicative of a constantslope), such as indicated with a dashed line in FIG. 13, the electroniccontroller 76 concludes that there is no change in the rate in whichsoot is accumulating within particulate filter 24, 26. However, if theslope of the line 312 increases beyond predetermined limits (as shown inthe solid line in FIG. 13), the electronic controller 76 concludes thatthere is a change in the rate in which soot is accumulating within theparticulate filter 24, 26. It should be appreciated that other methodsmay be utilized to analyze the rate of soot accumulation within thefilter 24, 26 with the method described herein being merely exemplary innature. Once the electronic controller 76 has analyzed the sootaccumulation within the particulate filter 24, 26, the control routine300 advances to step 306.

In step 306, the electronic controller 76 determines if the rate of sootaccumulation within particulate filter 24, 26 is indicative of apredetermined engine condition. Specifically, a lookup table stored inthe in the memory device 84 (or other memory device associated with theelectronic controller 82) may be queried to determine if the rate ofsoot accumulation, as analyzed in step 304, matches predeterminedcriteria. For example, the contents of the lookup table are used todetermine if the analysis of step 304 is indicative of no change in therate of soot accumulation or change that is within predeterminedacceptable limits. If so, the controller 76 concludes that the rate ofsoot accumulation is not indicative of an engine condition, and thecontrol routine loops back to step 302 to continue monitoring sootaccumulation within the filters 24, 26. The contents of the lookup tablemay also be used to determine if the analysis performed in step 304 isindicative of change in the rate of soot accumulation that is outside ofpredetermined limits. If so, the controller 76 concludes that the rateof soot accumulation may be indicative of an engine condition, and thecontrol routine 300 advances to step 308.

In step 308, the electronic controller 76 generates an error signal. Forexample, the electronic controller 76 may generate an output signalwhich causes a visual, audible, or other type of alarm to be generatedfor presentation to the operator (e.g., the driver of the truck 12). Theerror signal may simply cause an electronic log or the like to beupdated with information associated with the filter analysis of steps302-306.

As indicated in step 310, the error signal may be communicated to theengine control unit (ECU) 78 associated with the engine 80. The detailsof doing so will now be described in greater detail. However, it shouldbe appreciated that such a description is not limited to communicationof the error signal generated in step 308 of the control routine 300,but rather any error signal herein described (along with any other errorsignal generated by the controller 76) may be communicated to the enginecontrol unit 78. Moreover, as will be discussed herein in greaterdetail, the engine control unit 78 may communicate information, such asengine operation information, to the controller 76.

In a conventional manner, engine systems, such as the engine 80 of thetruck 12, include an engine control unit which is, in essence, themaster computer responsible for interpreting electrical signals sent byengine sensors and for activating electronically-controlled enginecomponents to control the engine. For example, an engine control unit isoperable to, amongst many other things, determine the beginning and endof each injection cycle of each engine cylinder, or determine both fuelmetering and injection timing in response to sensed parameters such asengine crankshaft position and RPM, engine coolant and intake airtemperature, and absolute intake air boost pressure.

Error signals generated by the controller 76 (or subsequent signalsgenerated in response the error signal) may be communicated to theengine control unit 78. Specifically, the electronic controller 76 ofthe emission abatement assembly 10 may be configured to communicate withthe engine control unit 78 via an interface 314. The interface 314 maybe any type of communication interface which enables electroniccommunication between the electronic controller 76 and the enginecontrol unit 78. One type of interface which is suitable for use as theinterface 314 is a Controller Area Network or “CAN” interface. A CANinterface is a serial bus network of microcontrollers that connectsdevices, sensors and actuators in a system or sub-system for real-timecontrol applications. Details of a CAN interface, which was firstdeveloped by Robert Bosch GmbH in 1986, are documented in ISO 11898 (forapplications up to 1 Mbps) and ISO 11519 (for applications up to 125Kbps), both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

By use of the CAN interface 314, information such as engine RPM andturbo boost pressure may be obtained from the engine control unit 78 foruse by the electronic controller 76. Such information may be used by thecontroller 76 in the execution of certain control routines. By usinginformation from the engine control unit 78, a redundant sensor array todetermine such information solely for use by the electronic controlleris eliminated.

Moreover, the CAN interface 314 allows for the transfer of error signals(e.g., error flags) or the like to the engine control unit 78 for use bythe engine control unit 78 during its operation. For example, an errorsignal indicative of an engine problem (as described in regard to thecontrol routine 300) may be communicated to the engine control unit 78.Armed with this information, the engine control unit 78 may beprogrammed to perform additional engine analysis, generate an errorsignal to the truck operator (e.g., an indicator light on the truck'sinstrument cluster), or store the error message in an error log whichcan be accessed by a service technician. The CAN interface 314 alsoallows an engine manufacturer to assume some degree of control over theoperation of the emission abatement assembly 10, if desired.

As such, it should be appreciated that the controller 76 of the controlunit 18 monitors operation of the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 (and othercomponents of the emission abatement assembly 10) to determine if any ofthe predetermined conditions described herein (or other conditions) aremet. The controller 76 may then generate a signal, such as an errorsignal, indicative of such conditions and communicate such a signal tothe engine control unit 78 via the CAN interface 314. Moreover, the CANinterface 314 may be used by the engine control unit 78 to communicateinformation, such as information relating to engine operation, to thecontroller 76. For example, information relating to engine RPM or turboboost pressure may be communicated to the controller 76 via the CANinterface 314. In addition to engine operation information, if soconfigured, the engine control unit 78 may also generate and communicatecontrol signals for controlling operation of the fuel-fired burners 20,22 to the controller 76. For example, the engine control unit 78 may beprogrammed to initiate regeneration cycles of the particulate filters24, 26. In such a case, the engine control unit 78 may generate andcommunicate a control signal to the controller 76 which causes thecontroller 76 to commence regeneration of one of the particulate filters24, 26.

As shown in FIG. 29, the electronic controller 76 of the control unit 18may be integrated with the engine control unit 78. As such, in additionto controlling operation of the engine 80, the engine control unit 78also controls operation of the emission abatement assembly 10. In such away, the engine control unit 78 is also, in essence, the master computerresponsible for interpreting electrical signals sent by sensorsassociated with the emission abatement assembly 10 and for activatingelectronically-controlled components associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10. For example, the engine control unit 78 isoperable to, amongst many other things, determine the beginning and endof each filter regeneration cycle, determine the amount and ratio offuel and air to be introduced into the fuel-fired burners 20, 22, alongwith the other functions herein described as being performed by thecontroller 76 of the emission abatement assembly 10.

To do so, the engine control unit 78 includes a number of electroniccomponents commonly associated with electronic units which are utilizedin the control of engine systems. For example, the engine control unit78 may include, amongst other components customarily included in suchdevices, a processor such as a microprocessor 728 and a memory device730 such as a programmable read-only memory device (“PROM”) includingerasable PROM's (EPROM's or EEPROM's).

The memory device 730 is provided to store, amongst other things,instructions in the form of, for example, a software routine (orroutines) which, when executed by the processing unit, allows the enginecontrol unit 78 to control operation of both the engine 80 and theemission abatement assembly 10. To do so, as shown in FIG. 29, theengine control unit 78 is electrically coupled to both the engine 80 andthe emission abatement assembly 10. In particular, the engine controlunit 78 is electrically coupled to the engine 80 via the signal line718, whereas the engine control unit 78 is electrically coupled to theemission abatement assembly 10 via the signal line 720. Although each isshown schematically as a single line, it should be appreciated that thesignal lines 718, 720 may be configured as any type of signal carryingassembly which allows for the transmission of electrical signals ineither one or both directions between the engine control unit 78 and theengine 80 or the emission abatement assembly 10, respectively. Forexample, either one or both of the signal lines 718, 720 may be embodiedas a wiring harness having a number of signal lines which transmitelectrical signals between the engine control unit 78 and the engine 80or the emission abatement assembly 10, respectively. In such anarrangement, signals generated by operation of a number of enginesensors 734 or the sensors 736 associated with the emission abatementassembly 10 are transmitted to the engine control unit 78 via thecorresponding wiring harness, and signals generated by the enginecontrol unit 78 are transmitted to the engine 80 or the emissionabatement assembly 10 by the corresponding wiring harness. It should beappreciated that any number of other wiring configurations may be used.For example, individual signal wires may be used, or a system utilizinga signal multiplexer may be used for the design of either one or both ofthe signal lines 718, 720. Moreover, the signal lines 718, 720 may beintegrated such that a single harness or system is utilized toelectrically couple both the engine 80 and the emission abatementassembly 10 to the engine control unit 78.

The engine control unit 78 also includes an analog interface circuit732. The analog interface circuit 732 converts the output signals fromthe various analog engine sensors 734 and the emission abatement sensors736 into a signal which is suitable for presentation to an input of themicroprocessor 728. In particular, the analog interface circuit 732, byuse of an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter (not shown) or the like,converts the analog signals generated by the sensors 734, 736 into adigital signal for use by the microprocessor 728. It should beappreciated that the A/D converter may be embodied as a discrete deviceor number of devices, or may be integrated into the microprocessor 728.It should also be appreciated that if any one or more of the sensors734, 736 generate a digital output signal, the analog interface circuit732 may be bypassed.

It should be appreciated that the emission abatement sensors 736communicating with the engine control unit 78 may be any of the sensorsherein described in relation to the emission abatement assembly 10. Forexample, the pressure sensors 264, 266 and the temperature sensors 182,184, 186 associated with the soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 may becoupled to the engine control unit 78. Moreover, the sensors anddetectors 164, 426, 460, 510 of the control unit 18 may be coupled tothe engine control unit 78.

The analog interface circuit 732 also converts signals from themicroprocessor 728 into an output signal which is suitable forpresentation to the electrically-controlled components 744 associatedwith the engine 80 and the electronically-controlled components 746associated with the emission abatement assembly 10. In particular, theanalog interface circuit 732, by use of a digital-to-analog (D/A)converter (not shown) or the like, converts the digital signalsgenerated by the microprocessor 728 into analog signals for use by theelectronically-controlled components 744 associated with the engine suchas the fuel injector assembly, ignition assembly, fan assembly,etcetera, along with analog signals for use by electronically-controlledcomponents 746 associated with the emission abatement assembly 10 suchas the pump motor 92, the air valve 102, the fuel injectors 132, 134,the valves 140, 154, 156, the igniters 170, 172, etcetera. It should beappreciated that, similar to the A/D converter described above, the D/Aconverter may be embodied as a discrete device or number of devices, ormay be integrated into the microprocessor 728. It should also beappreciated that if any one or more of the electronically-controlledcomponents 744 associated with the engine 80 orelectronically-controlled components 746 associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10 operate on a digital input signal, the analoginterface circuit 732 may be bypassed.

Hence, the engine control unit 78 may be operated to control operationof both the engine 80 and the emission abatement assembly 10. Inparticular, the engine control unit 78 operates in a closed-loop controlscheme in which the engine control unit 78 monitors outputs of thesensors 734, 736 in order to control the inputs to the controlledcomponents 744, 746 thereby managing the operation of both the engine 80and the emission abatement assembly 10. In particular, the enginecontrol unit 78 communicates with the sensors 734 in order to determine,amongst numerous other things, the engine coolant temperature, manifoldair pressure, crankshaft/flywheel position and speed, and the amount ofoxygen in the exhaust gas. Armed with this data, the engine control unit78 performs numerous calculations each second, including looking upvalues in preprogrammed tables, in order to execute routines to performsuch functions as varying spark timing or determining how long the fuelinjector is to be left open in a particular cylinder.

Contemporaneous with such control of the engine 80, the engine controlunit 78 also executes a routine for controlling operation of theemission abatement assembly 10. In particular, the engine control unit78 communicates with the sensors 736 in order to determine, amongstnumerous other things, the soot accumulation level in the particulatefilters, various temperature and pressure readings, etcetera. Armed withthis data, the engine control unit 78 performs numerous calculationseach second, including looking up values in preprogrammed tables, inorder to execute algorithms to perform such functions as supplying fueland air to the fuel-fired burners 20, 22, energizing the electrodes 48,50, etcetera.

As such, the engine control unit 78 controls operation of both theengine 80 and the emission abatement assembly 10. In particular, duringoperation of the engine 80, the engine control unit 78 executes a fuelinjector control routine which, amongst other things, generates a numberof injection signals in the form of injection pulses which arecommunicated to the individual injectors of the engine's fuel injectorassembly. In response to receipt of the injection pulse, a fuel injectoris opened for a predetermined period of time, thereby injecting fuelinto the corresponding cylinder of the engine 80. Contemporaneous withexecution of the fuel injection routine, the engine control unit 78executes a burner control routine which, amongst other things, generatesa number of control signals which are communicated to the variouselectronically-controlled components 746 associated with the emissionabatement assembly 10, thereby controlling operation of the fuel-firedburners 20, 22. For example, signals are generated and communicated for,amongst other things, varying the amount of fuel being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 20, 22, energizing the electrodes 48, 50, etcetera.

Moreover, the engine control unit 78 also monitors input from thevarious sensors 736 associated with the emission abatement assembly 10in order to utilize such input in the closed-loop control of theassembly 10. For example, signals communicated to the engine controlunit 78 are utilized to monitor the temperature of certain areas withinthe soot abatement assembly 14, 16, the pressure drop across theparticulate filter 24, 26, along with the numerous other functionsherein described.

It should be appreciated that such routines (i.e., the fuel injectorcontrol routine and the fuel reformer control routine) may be embodiedas separate software routines, or may be combined as a single softwareroutine.

Referring now to FIG. 14, there is shown a control routine 350 formonitoring ash buildup in the particulate filters 24, 26. Over time asmultiple filter regenerations occur, ash may accumulate in theparticulate filters 24, 26. By monitoring (e.g., measuring and datalogging) the pressure drop (ΔP) across the particulate filter 24, 26subsequent to each filter regeneration process, it can be determinedwhen the filter requires the ash to be cleaned. Specifically, as willherein be described in greater detail, shortly after each filterregeneration cycle, the pressure drop (ΔP) across the particulate filter24, 26 is obtained and stored in memory. Once the pressure drop (ΔP)across the particulate filter 24, 26 exceeds a predetermined upperlimit, an error signal indicative of the need to service the filter byremoving the ash from the filter is generated.

The control routine 350 commences with step 352 in which the electroniccontroller 76 regenerates one of the particulate filters 24, 26.Specifically, as described in greater detail herein, the electroniccontroller 76 operates the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 to generate heat toregenerate the particulate filter 24, 26. Once the regeneration cycle iscomplete, the control routine 350 advances to step 354.

In step 354, the electronic controller 76 measures the pressure drop(ΔP) across the recently regenerated particulate filter 24, 26.Specifically, the output from pressure sensors 264, 266 of the recentlyregenerated filter is read so that the pressure drop (ΔP) may becalculated.

Thereafter, the control routine advances to step 356 where the value ofthe pressure drop (ΔP) across the recently regenerated particulatefilter 24, 26 is stored in a table in a memory device (e.g., RAM orother memory device associated with the electronic controller 82). Thecontrol routine 350 then advances to step 358.

In step 358, the electronic controller 76 determines if the pressuredrop (ΔP) across the recently regenerated particulate filter 24, 26 isabove a predetermined upper limit. If the pressure drop (ΔP) across therecently regenerated particulate filter 24, 26 is below the upper limit,the control routine 350 ends until reinitiated subsequent to completionof the next filter regeneration cycle. However, if the pressure drop(ΔP) across the recently regenerated particulate filter 24, 26 is abovethe upper control limit, the control routine 350 advances to step 360.

In step 360, the electronic controller 76 generates an error signal. Forexample, the electronic controller 76 may generate an output signalwhich causes a visual, audible, or other type of alarm to be generatedfor presentation to the operator (e.g., the driver of the truck 12).Alternatively, the error signal may simply cause an electronic log orthe like to be updated with information associated with the filteranalysis of steps 352-358. It should be appreciated that the errorsignal generated in step 360 may be configured for use with any type ofalarming or error tracking arrangement to fit the needs of a givensystem design.

As indicated in step 362, if the electronic controller 76 is soequipped, the error signal (or a subsequent signal generated in responsethe error signal) may be communicated to the engine control unit 78 viathe CAN interface 314. Armed with this information, the engine controlunit 78 may be programmed to perform additional filter analysis,generate an error signal to the truck operator (e.g., an indicator lighton the truck's instrument cluster) indicating that the affectedfilter(s) 24, 26 requires servicing (i.e., ash removal), or store theerror message in an error log which can be accessed by a servicetechnician. The control routine 350 then ends.

As described above, the electronic controller 76 may use a number ofdifferent control schemes to determine when one of the particulatefilters 24, 26 is in need of regeneration. For example, a sensor-basedscheme or a timing-based scheme may be utilized. In either case, whenthe controller 76 determines that one of the filters 24, 26 is in needof regeneration, a regeneration cycle is commenced in which theelectronic controller 76 operates the fuel-fired burners 14, 16 toregenerate the filters 24, 26, respectively. To do so, the air pump 90and the air valve 102 are operated to supply combustion air to theappropriate burner 20, 22. Contemporaneously, fuel is supplied to theappropriate burner 20, 22 via the fuel delivery assembly 120. Inparticular, to supply fuel to the fuel-fired burner 20, the fuelinjector 132 is operated to inject fuel into the mixing chamber 146where it is atomized in a flow of atomization air being supplied to themixing chamber 146 by the air valves 154, 156. The resultant air/fuelmixture is conducted to the fuel inlet nozzle 54 of the fuel-firedburner 20 via the fuel line 148. On the other hand, to supply fuel tothe fuel-fired burner 22, the fuel injector 134 is operated to injectfuel into the mixing chamber 146 where it is atomized in the flow ofatomization air being supplied to the mixing chamber 146 by the airvalves 154, 156. The resultant air/fuel mixture is conducted to the fuelinlet nozzle 54 of the fuel-fired burner 22 via the fuel line 150.

The air/fuel mixture entering the burner 20, 22 via the fuel inletnozzle 54 is ignited by the electrodes 48, 50. In the case of operationof the fuel-fired burner 20, the igniter 170 is actuated to generate aspark across the electrode gap 52 between the electrodes 48, 50 of theburner 20 thereby igniting the air/fuel mixture exiting the fuel inlet54. In the case of operation of the fuel-fired burner 22, the igniter172 is actuated to generate a spark across the electrode gap 52 betweenthe electrodes 48, 50 of the burner 22 thereby igniting the air/fuelmixture exiting the fuel inlet 54.

As described above, the electronic controller 76 monitors output fromthe flame temperature sensor 182 to detect or otherwise determinepresence of an ignition flame in the combustion chamber 34 of thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 being activated. Specifically, when theelectronic controller 76 initiates ignition of the fuel-fired burner 20,22, the controller 76 monitors output from the flame temperature sensor182 to ensure that the air/fuel mixture entering the burner 20, 22 isbeing ignited by the spark from the electrodes 48, 50. An error signalis generated if the output of the flame temperature sensor does not meeta predetermined criteria.

Once the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is activated, it begins to produceheat. Such heat is directed downstream (relative to exhaust gas flow)and into contact with the upstream face of the particulate filter 24,26. The heat ignites and burns soot particles trapped in the filtersubstrate 60 thereby regenerating the particulate filter 24, 26.Illustratively, heat in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius may besufficient to regenerate a non-catalyzed filter, whereas heat in therange of 300-350 degrees Celsius may be sufficient to regenerate acatalyzed filter.

In an illustrative embodiment, regeneration of the particulate filter24, 26 may take only a few minutes. Moreover, it should be appreciatedthat regeneration of the particulate filter 24, 26 may beself-sustaining once initiated by heat from the fuel-fired burner 20,22, respectively. Specifically, once the filter 24, 26 is heated to atemperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite,the ignition of an initial portion of soot particles trapped therein cancause the ignition of the remaining soot particles much in the same waya cigar slowly burns from one end to the other. In essence, as the sootparticles “burn,” an amount of heat is released in the “burn zone.”Locally, the soot layer (in the burn zone) is now much hotter than theimmediate surroundings. As such, heat is transferred to the as yetun-ignited soot layer downstream of the burn zone. The energytransferred may be sufficient to initiate oxidation reactions that raisethe un-ignited soot to a temperature above its ignition temperature. Asa result of this, heat from the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 may only berequired to commence the regeneration process of the filter 24 (i.e.,begin the ignition process of the soot particles trapped therein).

During the regeneration cycle, the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 may becontrolled in the manner described herein in regard to FIGS. 9-11.Specifically, the control routines 200 and 250 may be utilized tomonitor temperatures within soot abatement assemblies 14, 16 in themanner described herein.

Referring now to FIGS. 30 and 31, there is shown a control routine 750for starting up the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 during commencement of aregeneration cycle. The routine begins with step 752 in which theroutine determines if a request to startup the fuel-fired burner 20, 22(i.e., a burner startup request) has been executed. It should beappreciated that a burner startup request may take many different formsincluding, for example, a startup request generated by a softwarecontrol routine in response to sensed, timed, or otherwise determinedindication that one of the particulate filters 24, 26 is in need ofregeneration. For example, a sensor-based scheme, map-based scheme, or atiming-based scheme may be utilized to generate a startup request. Assuch, in step 752, if the control routine 750 detects a burner startuprequest, a control signal is generated and the routine 750 advances tostep 754. If the control routine 750 does not detect a burner startuprequest, the routine 750 loops back to step 752 to continue monitoringfor such a request.

In step 754, the electronic controller 76 supplies a relatively highamount of fuel to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 to facilitate ignition ofa flame in the combustion chamber 34. Specifically, an air/fuel mixtureis supplied to the burner 20, 22 where it is to be ignited by the sparkbetween the electrodes 48, 50 in the presence of combustion air suppliedby the control unit 18. The supply of this initial fuel level is showngraphically with the arrow 764 of FIG. 31. The control routine 750 thenadvances to step 756.

In step 756, the controller 76 determines if ignition has occurred. Thecontroller 76 may do so in any number of different manners. For example,the electronic controller 76 may monitor output from the flametemperature sensor 182 to detect or otherwise determine presence of anignition flame in the combustion chamber 34 of the fuel-fired burner 20,22. Specifically, when the electronic controller 76 initiates ignitionof the fuel-fired burner 20, 22, the controller 76 may monitor outputfrom the flame temperature sensor 182 to ensure that the air/fuelmixture entering the burner 20, 22 is being ignited by the spark fromthe electrodes 48, 50. Once ignition has been detected, the controlroutine 750 advances to step 758. Ignition detection is showngraphically at point 766 in FIG. 31.

In step 758, the electronic controller 76 decreases the fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. To do so, the electroniccontroller 76 increases the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixturebeing supplied to the burner 20, 22 by reducing the amount of fuel beinginjected into the mixing chamber 146 by the fuel injectors 132, 134. Forexample, to decrease the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner20, the electronic controller 76 generates a control signal on thesignal line 136 that reduces the amount of fuel being injected by thefuel injector 132 into the mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing theair-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line 148. Similarly, to decrease thefuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22, the electroniccontroller 76 generates a control signal on the signal line 138 thatreduces the amount of fuel being injected by the fuel injector 134 intothe mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22 via the fuelline 150.

The electronic controller 76 operates the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 atthis reduced fuel level for a period of time to preheat the componentsof the soot abatement assembly 14, 16. Such a preheating period may betime-based (i.e., continue for a predetermined period of time) or may besensor-based (i.e., continue until a predetermined temperature is sensedby one or more of the temperature sensors 182, 184, 186). The preheatingperiod is shown graphically with the arrow 768 of FIG. 31. Once thisperiod of time has elapsed (i.e., once the system has been preheated),the control routine 750 advances to step 760.

In step 760, the electronic controller 76 ramps up or otherwiseincreases the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. To doso, the electronic controller 76 decreases the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the burner 20, 22 by increasing theamount of fuel being injected into the mixing chamber 146 by the fuelinjectors 132, 134. For example, to increase the fuel being supplied tothe fuel-fired burner 20, the electronic controller 76 generates acontrol signal on the signal line 136 that increases the amount of fuelbeing injected by the fuel injector 132 into the mixing chamber 146thereby decreasing the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line 148. Similarly,to increase the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22, theelectronic controller 76 generates a control signal on the signal line138 that increases the amount of fuel being injected by the fuelinjector 134 into the mixing chamber 146 thereby decreasing theair-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 22 via the fuel line 150.

In step 760, the fuel supplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 may beincreased at a predetermined ramp rate. For example, as showngraphically with arrow 770 in FIG. 31, the fuel level may be graduallyincreased at a predetermined ramp rate up to a specific, predeterminedfuel level, as indicated by point 772 in FIG. 31. Such a predeterminedfuel level may correspond with a desired regeneration temperature. Oncethe fuel level has been ramped up, the control routine 750 advances tostep 762.

In step 762, the controller 76 adjusts the fuel level being supplied tothe fuel-fired burner 20, 22 to facilitate filter regeneration.Specifically, as described above in regard to FIGS. 9 and 10, during afilter regeneration cycle, fueling of the burner 20, 22 is adjusted byclosed-loop control. Such closed-loop control of the fueling of theburner 20, 22 is shown generally in the area indicated by the arrow 418of FIG. 31. Once under closed-loop control, the startup control routine750 ends.

Referring now to FIG. 32, there is shown another startup control routine780 for starting up the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 during commencement ofa regeneration cycle. The routine begins with step 782 in which theroutine 780 determines if a request to startup the fuel-fired burner 20,22 (i.e., a burner startup request) has been executed. It should beappreciated that a burner startup request may take many different formsincluding, for example, a startup request generated by a softwarecontrol routine in response to sensed, timed, or otherwise determinedindication that one of the particulate filters 24, 26 is in need ofregeneration. For example, a sensor-based scheme, map-based scheme, or atiming-based scheme may be utilized to generate a startup request. Assuch, in step 782, if the control routine 780 detects a burner startuprequest, a control signal is generated and the routine 780 advances tostep 784. If the control routine 780 does not detect a burner startuprequest, the routine 780 loops back to step 782 to continue monitoringfor such a request.

In step 784, the controller 76 energizes the electrode assembly of thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 that is to be regenerated prior to any fuelbeing supplied to the burner. Specifically, during startup of thefuel-fired burner 20, prior to fuel being supplied to the burner 20, thecontroller 76 operates the igniter 170 to commence spark generationbetween the electrodes 48, 50 of the burner 20. In the case of startupof the fuel-fired burner 22, prior to fuel being supplied to the burner22, the electronic controller 76 operates the igniter 172 to commencespark generation between the electrodes 48, 50 of the burner 22.

The controller 76 continues to energize the electrode assembly of thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 for a predetermined period of time prior to theintroduction of fuel to the burner. The duration of such a period oftime may be configured to fit the needs of a given system design. Inparticular, it has been found that energizing the electrode assembly forsuch a period of time prior to fuel introduction cleans any fouledsurfaces on the electrodes 48, 50 (i.e., removes any soot or othermatter accumulated thereon). As such, any matter accumulated on theelectrodes 48, 50 (e.g., soot, diesel fuel, water, oil, etcetera) can beremoved from the electrodes prior to the introduction of fuel therebyenhancing operation of the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. Once thepredetermined period of time has elapsed, the control routine 780advances to step 786.

In step 786, the electronic controller 76 supplies fuel and air to thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 to regenerate the particulate filter 24, 26 inthe manner described above. Specifically, an air/fuel mixture issupplied to the burner 20, 22 where it is ignited by the spark betweenthe electrodes 48, 50 in the presence of combustion air supplied by thecontrol unit 18. Heat generated by the combustion of the fuelregenerates the particulate filter 24, 26.

It should be appreciated that the control routines 750, 780 may becombined, if desired. For example, the electrode assembly may beenergized for a period of time (as described in step 784 of the controlroutine 780) prior to the introduction of the fuel for ignition (asdescribed in step 754 of the control routine 750).

Referring now to FIGS. 15 and 16, there is shown a control routine 400for shutting down the fuel-fired burners 20, 22 during a regenerationcycle. The control routine begins with step 402 in which electroniccontroller 76 supplies fuel and air to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 toregenerate the particulate filter 24, 26 in the manner described above.Specifically, an air/fuel mixture are supplied to the burner 20, 22where it is ignited by the spark between the electrodes 48, 50 in thepresence of combustion air supplied by the control unit 18. As describedin regard to FIGS. 9 and 10, during such a filter regeneration cycle,fueling of the burner 20, 22 is adjusted by closed-loop control. Suchclosed-loop control of the fueling of the burner 20, 22 is showngenerally in the area indicated by the arrow 418 of FIG. 16.

During the filter regeneration cycle, the control routine 400, at step404, determines if a request to shutdown the fuel-fired burner 20, 22(i.e., a burner shutdown request) has been executed. It should beappreciated that a burner shutdown request may take many different formsincluding, for example, a shutdown request generated by a softwarecontrol routine in response to sensed, timed, or otherwise determinedindication that the particulate filter 20, 22 has been regenerated orthat filter regeneration is self-sustaining (as described above), anautomatic shutdown request generated by a software control routine orthe like, a timed shutdown request, or any other manual, software, orhardware-driven shutdown request. In certain embodiments, a burnershutdown request may be generated in response to the turning of anignition key associated with the engine 80 of the truck 12 from an onposition to an off position. As such, in step 404, if the controlroutine 400 detects a burner shutdown request, a control signal isgenerated and the routine 400 advances to step 406. Detection of ashutdown request is shown graphically at point 420 in FIG. 16. If thecontrol routine 400 does not detect a burner shutdown request, theroutine 400 loops back to step 402 to continue the filter regenerationcycle.

In step 406, the electronic controller 76 decreases the fuel beingsupplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. To do so, the electroniccontroller 76 increases the air-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixturebeing supplied to the burner 20, 22 by reducing the amount of fuel beinginjected into the mixing chamber 146 by the fuel injectors 132, 134. Forexample, to decrease the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner20, the electronic controller 76 generates a control signal on thesignal line 136 that reduces the amount of fuel being injected by thefuel injector 132 into the mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing theair-to-fuel ratio of the air/fuel mixture being supplied to thefuel-fired burner 20 via the fuel line 148. Similarly, to decrease thefuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22, the electroniccontroller 76 generates a control signal on the signal line 138 thatreduces the amount of fuel being injected by the fuel injector 134 intothe mixing chamber 146 thereby increasing the air-to-fuel ratio of theair/fuel mixture being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 22 via the fuelline 150.

The electronic controller 76 operates the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 atthis reduced fuel level for a predetermined period of time. Such aperiod of time is shown graphically with the arrow 422 of FIG. 16. Oncethis predetermined period of time has elapsed, the control routineadvances to step 408.

In step 408, the fuel supply to the burner 20, 22 is shutoff.Specifically, the electronic controller 76 deactuates the fuel deliveryassembly 120 thereby ceasing the supply of fuel to the burner 20, 22. Toshutoff the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner 20, theelectronic controller 76 closes the fuel enable valve 140 and ceases togenerate control signals on the signal line 136 thereby causing the fuelinjector 132 to cease to inject fuel into the mixing chamber 146. Oncethe fuel remaining in the fuel line 148 is consumed by the burner 20, noadditional fuel enters the fuel inlet nozzle 54 of the burner 20.Similarly, to shutoff the fuel being supplied to the fuel-fired burner22, the electronic controller 76 closes the fuel enable valve 140 andceases to generate control signals on the signal line 138 therebycausing the fuel injector 134 to cease to inject fuel into the mixingchamber 146. Once the fuel remaining in the fuel line 150 is consumed bythe burner 22, no additional fuel enters the fuel inlet nozzle 54 of theburner 22.

In step 408, the electronic controller 76 maintains the supply ofcombustion air and atomization air to the burners 20, 22, and alsomaintains operation of the igniters 170, 172. Specifically, in the caseof shutdown of the fuel-fired burner 20, even though fuel is no longerbeing supplied to the burner 20, the electronic controller 76 continuesto supply combustion air to the burner 20 via the air line 58 andcontinues to supply atomization air via the fuel line 148. Thecontroller 76 continues to operate the igniter 170 to continue sparkgeneration within the combustion chamber 34 of the burner 20. In thecase of shutdown of the fuel-fired burner 22, even though fuel is nolonger being supplied to the burner 22, the electronic controller 76continues to supply combustion air to the burner 22 via the air line 58and continues to supply atomization air via the fuel line 150. Thecontroller 76 continues to operate the igniter 172 to continue sparkgeneration within the combustion chamber 34 of the burner 22. Suchcontinued air supply and spark generation ensures that any remainingfuel in the system is combusted by the burner 20, 22 thereby reducing,if not eliminating, the emission of unburned hydrocarbons.

The electronic controller 76 continues to supply combustion air andatomization air and operate the igniters as described above for apredetermined period of time. Such a period of time is shown graphicallywith the arrow 424 in FIG. 16. Once this predetermined period of timehas elapsed, the control routine advances to step 410.

In step 410, the electronic controller 76 shuts off the flow ofcombustion air to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. Specifically, theelectronic controller 76 ceases operation of the motor 92 therebyceasing operation of the air pump 90. Subsequent to shutdown of the airpump 90, the electronic controller 76 continues to supply atomizationair and continues to operate the igniters as described above for apredetermined period of time. Once this predetermined period of time haselapsed, the control routine advances to step 412.

In step 412, the electronic controller 76 shuts off the flow ofatomization air to the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. Specifically, theelectronic controller 76 closes the atomization air valve 156 therebyreducing the flow of air to the mixing chamber 146 and hence the burners20, 22. Note that the cleaning air valve 154 remains open, and, as aresult, a reduced flow of cleaning air continues to be advanced into themixing chamber 146 and, as a result, supplied to the fuel-fired burners20, 22. As described above, the flow of cleaning air from the cleaningair valve 154 is generally constantly supplied to the mixing chamber 146during operation of the engine 80 of the truck 12 to prevent theaccumulation of debris (e.g., soot) in the fuel inlet nozzles 54 of thefuel-fired burners 20, 22.

In step 412, the electronic controller 76 ceases spark generation withinthe combustion chamber 34 of the fuel-fired burner 20, 22. Specifically,the electronic controller 76 ceases operation of the igniter 170 (in thecase of the burner 20) or the igniter 172 (in the case of the burner172) thereby causing the spark to cease to be generated across theelectrode gap 52 of the electrodes 48, 50 of the burner 20, 22. Thecontrol routine 400 then ends.

As described above, during execution of the shutdown control routine 400(along with other times as well), there are occasions in which theelectronic controller 76 supplies combustion air to one of thefuel-fired burners 20, 22, but does not supply fuel to either burner 20,22. As also described above, the motor 92 drives both the fuel pump 122and the air pump 90. Hence, when the motor 92 is driving the air pump 90to supply combustion air, the fuel pump 122 is also being driven. Duringthe occasions in which combustion air is being supplied a burner 20, 22,but fuel is not being supplied to either burner 20, 22, fuel pumped bythe fuel pump 122 is returned to the truck's fuel tank 124 via the fuelreturn line 142. As shown in FIG. 8, a fuel pressure sensor 426 sensesfuel pressure in the fuel return line 142. Output from the fuel pressuresensor 426 is communicated to the electronic controller 76 via a signalline 428. If the fuel return line 142 becomes restricted such that fuelcannot readily flow back to the tank 124, pressure on the seals of thefuel pump 122 may increase thereby potentially necessitating repair orreplacement of the pump 122.

As shown in FIG. 17, the electronic controller 76 executes a controlroutine 450 to monitor the return fuel line 142. The control routine 450commences with step 452 in which the electronic controller 76 determinesthe fuel pressure in the fuel return line 142. Specifically, theelectronic controller 76 scans or reads the signal line 428 to obtainthe output from the fuel pressure sensor 426. The control routine 450then advances to step 454.

In step 454, the electronic controller 76 determines if the sensed fuelpressure is above a predetermined upper pressure limit. If the fuelpressure is below the upper pressure limit, the control routine 450loops back to step 452 to continue monitoring output from the fuelpressure sensor 426. However, if the fuel pressure is above the uppercontrol limit, the control routine 450 advances to step 456.

In step 456, the electronic controller 76 shuts down componentsassociated with the control unit 18. In particular, since the electroniccontroller 76 concluded in step 454 that fuel pressure in the fuelreturn line 142 was above the upper control limit, the controller 76,amongst other things, ceases operation of the drive motor 92 therebyceasing operation of the fuel pump 122. The control routine 450 thenadvances to step 458.

In step 458, the electronic controller 76 generates an error signal. Forexample, the electronic controller 76 may generate an output signalwhich causes a visual, audible, or other type of alarm to be generatedfor presentation to the operator (e.g., the driver of the truck 12).Alternatively, the error signal may simply cause an electronic log orthe like to be updated with information associated with the fuelpressure analysis of steps 452-456. It should be appreciated that theerror signal generated in step 458 may be configured for use with anytype of alarming or error tracking arrangement to fit the needs of agiven system design. Moreover, if the electronic controller 76 is soequipped, the error signal (or a subsequent signal generated in responsethe error signal) may be communicated to the engine control unit 78 viathe CAN interface 314. Armed with this information, the engine controlunit 78 may be programmed to perform additional analysis, generate anerror signal to the truck operator (e.g., an indicator light on thetruck's instrument cluster) indicating that the control unit 18 hasshutdown, or store the error message in an error log which can beaccessed by a service technician. The control routine 450 then ends.

Referring back to FIG. 8, the control unit 18 may be equipped with a oneor more sensors for detecting the presence of predeterminedenvironmental conditions within the interior chamber 112 of the controlhousing 72. For example, the control unit 18 may be configured toinclude a smoke detector 460. Output from the smoke detector 460 iscommunicated to the electronic controller 76 via a signal line 462. Aswill herein be described in greater detail, the smoke detector 460 maybe used to detect the presence of fuel particles or smoke in theinterior chamber 112 of the control housing 72. If the presence of fuelparticles or smoke is detected, the system may be shutdown and an errorsignal generated. The smoke detector 460 may be embodied as any type ofsmoke detector. In the exemplary embodiment of the control unit 18described herein, the smoke detector 460 is embodied as a non-ionizingsmoke detector such as a commercially available IR-detector.

As shown in FIG. 18, the electronic controller 76 executes a controlroutine 500 to monitor for the presence of fuel particles or smoke inthe interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72. The control routine500 commences with step 502 in which the electronic controller 76 scansor reads the signal line 462 to obtain the output from the smokedetector 460. Once the controller 76 has obtained the output from thesmoke detector 460, the control routine 500 then advances to step 504.

In step 504, the electronic controller 76 determines if the output fromthe smoke detector 460 is indicative of the presence of fuel particlesor smoke in the interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72. If theoutput from the smoke detector 460 is not indicative of the presence offuel particles or smoke in the interior chamber 112 of the controlhousing 72, the control routine 500 loops back to step 502 to continuemonitoring output from the detector 460. However, if the output from thesmoke detector 460 is indicative of the presence of fuel particles orsmoke in the interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72, a controlsignal is generated, and the control routine 500 advances to step 506.

In step 506, the electronic controller 76 shuts down componentsassociated with the control unit 18. In particular, since the electroniccontroller 76 concluded in step 454 that the output of the smokedetector is indicative of the presence of fuel particles or smoke in theinterior chamber 112 of the control housing 72, the controller 76,amongst other things, ceases operation of the drive motor 92 therebyceasing operation of the fuel pump 122 and the air pump 90. The controlroutine 500 then advances to step 508.

In step 508, the electronic controller 76 generates an error signal. Forexample, the electronic controller 76 may generate an output signalwhich causes a visual, audible, or other type of alarm to be generatedfor presentation to the operator (e.g., the driver of the truck 12).Alternatively, the error signal may simply cause an electronic log orthe like to be updated with information associated with the analysis ofsteps 502 and 504. It should be appreciated that the error signalgenerated in step 508 may be configured for use with any type ofalarming or error tracking arrangement to fit the needs of a givensystem design. Moreover, if the electronic controller 76 is so equipped,the error signal (or a subsequent signal generated in response the errorsignal) may be communicated to the engine control unit 78 via the CANinterface 314. Armed with this information, the engine control unit 78may be programmed to perform additional analysis, generate an errorsignal to the truck operator (e.g., an indicator light on the truck'sinstrument cluster) indicating that the control unit 18 has shutdown, orstore the error message in an error log which can be accessed by aservice technician. The control routine 500 then ends.

As shown in FIG. 8, the control unit 18 may be configured with othertypes of sensors for detecting the presence of predeterminedenvironmental conditions within the interior chamber 112 of the controlhousing 72. For example, the control unit 18 may be configured toinclude a temperature sensor 510. Output from the temperature sensor 510is communicated to the electronic controller 76 via a signal line 512.As will herein be described in greater detail, the temperature sensor510 may be used to monitor the temperature within the interior chamber112 of the control housing 72. If the temperature within the interiorchamber 112 of the control housing 72 exceeds a predetermined uppertemperature limit (e.g., 125° C.), the system may be shutdown and anerror signal generated. The temperature sensor 510 may be embodied asany type of electronic temperature sensor. In the exemplary embodimentof the control unit 18 described herein, the temperature sensor 510 isembodied as a commercially available thermocouple.

As shown in FIG. 19, the electronic controller 76 executes a controlroutine 550 to monitor the temperature within the interior chamber 112of the control housing 72. The control routine 550 commences with step552 in which the electronic controller 76 scans or reads the signal line512 to obtain the output from the temperature sensor 510. Once thecontroller 76 has obtained the output from the temperature sensor 510,the control routine 550 then advances to step 554.

In step 554, the electronic controller 76 determines if the sensedtemperature within the interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72 isabove a predetermined upper temperature limit (e.g., 125° C.). If thetemperature within the interior chamber 112 of the control housing 72 isbelow the upper temperature limit, the control routine 550 loops back tostep 552 to continue monitoring output from the temperature sensor 510.However, if the temperature within the interior chamber 112 of thecontrol housing 72 is above the upper control limit, a control signal isgenerated, and the control routine 550 advances to step 556.

In step 556, the electronic controller 76 shuts down componentsassociated with the control unit 18. In particular, since the electroniccontroller 76 concluded in step 554 that the temperature within theinterior chamber 112 of the control housing 72 is above the uppercontrol limit, the controller 76, amongst other things, ceases operationof the drive motor 92 thereby ceasing operation of the fuel pump 122 andthe air pump 90. The control routine 550 then advances to step 558.

In step 558, the electronic controller 76 generates an error signal. Forexample, the electronic controller 76 may generate an output signalwhich causes a visual, audible, or other type of alarm to be generatedfor presentation to the operator (e.g., the driver of the truck 12).Alternatively, the error signal may simply cause an electronic log orthe like to be updated with information associated with the temperatureanalysis of steps 552 and 554. It should be appreciated that the errorsignal generated in step 558 may be configured for use with any type ofalarming or error tracking arrangement to fit the needs of a givensystem design. Moreover, if the electronic controller 76 is so equipped,the error signal (or a subsequent signal generated in response the errorsignal) may be communicated to the engine control unit 78 via the CANinterface 314. Armed with this information, the engine control unit 78may be programmed to perform additional analysis, generate an errorsignal to the truck operator (e.g., an indicator light on the truck'sinstrument cluster) indicating that the control unit 18 has shutdown, orstore the error message in an error log which can be accessed by aservice technician. The control routine 550 then ends.

Referring now to FIG. 20, there is shown an emission abatement assembly600. The emission abatement assembly 600 includes a number of commoncomponents with the emission abatement assembly 10. Common referencenumerals are utilized to designate common components between the twoassemblies.

The emission abatement assembly 600 includes a controller 76, a fuelsupply unit such as a fuel pump 122 under the control of the controller76, and a fuel-fired burner 606. The assembly 600 may be installed inthe truck 12 either horizontally, vertically, or upside-down vertically.A diesel oxidation catalyst 608 may optionally be positioned upstream ofthe filter substrate 60, as shown in FIG. 20. The diesel oxidationcatalyst 608 (or any other type of oxidation catalyst) may be used tooxidize any unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide (CO) therebygenerating additional heat which is transferred downstream to the filtersubstrate 60. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 21, the emission abatementassembly 600 may be configured without the diesel oxidation catalyst608.

As described above, the filter substrate 60 may be impregnated with acatalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalyticmaterial. The catalytic material may be, for example, embodied asplatinum, rhodium, palladium, including combinations thereof, along withany other similar catalytic materials. Use of a catalytic materiallowers the temperature needed to ignite trapped soot particles.

Unlike the assembly 10, in the exemplary embodiment described herein,the emission abatement assembly 600 does not utilize supplemental airpumped from an air pump such as the air pump 90. As such, the combustionprocess is supported by oxygen in the exhaust gas.

The fuel-fired burner 606 is shown in greater detail in FIGS. 22 and 23.Hot exhaust gas enters the housing 610 through an exhaust gas inlet 612.Note that unlike the assembly 10 in which the exhaust gas enters throughan inlet 36 which is perpendicular to the flow direction through thehousing of the assembly, the exhaust gas inlet 612 is substantiallyco-axial with the flow direction of the housing 610. As such, the gasinlet 612 and a gas outlet 614 of the housing 610 are arranged along thesame general axis (see FIGS. 20 and 21).

Exhaust gas entering the housing 610 is split into two streams. Theinner stream 616 enters a chamber 618, and then flows into a combustionchamber 620 through a number of holes 622, 624. The hole pattern of theholes 622, 624 is shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. The hole pattern isconfigured such that exhaust gas flowing through the holes 622 swirlsinside the combustion chamber 620, thus facilitating the mixing of theinjected fuel, the exhaust gas, and combustion gases. One or more rowsof the holes 622 may be utilized to generate a desired flow/swirl. Asshown in FIGS. 24 and 25, an upstream wall 628 of the combustion chamber620 may also have a number of holes 626 defined therein to allow aportion of the exhaust gas flow to enter the chamber 620 without beingfirst advanced through the chamber 618.

The ends of the electrodes 48, 50 are placed downstream of the nozzle 54to ignite the fuel in the presence of exhaust gas. The exhaust gascontains between 4%-20% oxygen which facilitates combustion of the fuel.The exhaust gas passing through holes 624 mixes with the hot combustiongas that may contain unburned fuel, hydrocarbons, CO, and othercombustible gas. In the presence of the oxygen in the exhaust gas, thesegases further combust. A flow of exhaust gas flows through a number ofholes 630 thereby bypassing the fuel-fired burner 606. This bypass flowof exhaust gas supplies additional oxygen for the combustion of thecombustion gas exiting the combustion chamber 620.

A flame holder 632 is placed downstream of the combustion zone toprevent the flame from reaching the diesel oxidation catalyst 608 (orthe filter substrate 60 in configurations without a diesel oxidationcatalyst such as shown in FIG. 21). A gas distributor 634 may bepositioned downstream of the combustion zone to facilitate the mixing ofthe hot combustion gas and the exhaust gas bypassing the fuel-firedburner 606, thus enhancing the temperature distribution across the inletof diesel oxidation catalyst 608 and/or filter substrate 60. Thedistributor 634 may be positioned around a portion of the walls of thecombustion chamber 620 as shown in FIG. 22. An exemplary design of a gasdistributor 634 that may be positioned in such a manner is shown in FIG.26. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 27, the gas distributor 634 may bepositioned downstream of the outlet of the combustion chamber 620. Anexemplary design of a gas distributor 634 that may be positioned in sucha manner is shown in FIG. 28.

Referring now to FIG. 27, another exemplary design of the fuel-firedburner is shown in greater detail. In this embodiment, some exhaust gasflows through the holes 622 whose hole pattern is similar to the holepattern shown in FIG. 24, thereby creating gas swirl inside thecombustion chamber. The hot flame which contains unburned fuel,hydrocarbons, CO, and other combustible gas burns further downstream inthe assembly of FIG. 27 relative to the assembly of FIG. 22.

As shown in FIG. 27, an additional flame holder 636 may be positionedbetween the flame holder 632 and the fuel-fired burner 606. As shown insolid lines, the flame holder 636 may be designed in a concaveconfiguration or, as shown in phantom lines, a convex configuration.

Other variations of the exemplary designs of the emission abatementassemblies described herein are also contemplated. For example, asdescribed above, the air pump 90 may be embodied as any type of air pumpincluding a relatively high flow/high efficiency air pump. A variableair flow pump that increases output at high engine load conditions mayalso be used. Alternatively, a variable air flow pump that only operatesat high engine load conditions may be used. The pump 90 may be embodiedas a centrifugal compressor or a roots blower.

The size of the combustion chamber 34, 620 may also be varied to fit theneeds of a given system design. For example, a relatively large (16″diameter) combustion chamber 34, 620 may be used to slow exhaust gasvelocity thereby enhancing combustion efficiency of the fuel-firedburners. Relatively smooth/efficient air flow configurations, such asthe “axial” configurations shown in FIGS. 20 and 21, may also be used toenhance the flow characteristics of a given design.

The manner in which fuel is injected into the fuel-fired burners 20, 22,606 may also be varied, if desired. For example, a staged fuel injectionarrangement may be used in which a first amount of fuel is injected intothe burner to create an initial flame. The initial flame is then used toignite a second amount of injected fuel.

A modulated fuel flow arrangement could also be utilized to increase thesurface area of the fuel spray. For example, a dithering fuel averagemay be used in which the amount of injected fuel is dithered around adesired average fuel amount. For instance, the injected fuel rate may bedithered between 25% and 75% to produce an average fuel rate of 50%.

Operation of the engine 80, and its associated components, may also becontrolled to facilitate operation of the emission abatement assembliesdescribed herein. For example, in the case of operation of an emissionabatement assembly that does not utilize supplemental air (e.g., theassemblies of FIGS. 20 and 21), the position of the EGR valve of theengine 80 may be coordinated with regeneration of the particulatefilter. For instance, to increase both the temperature and the oxygencontent in the exhaust gas, the engine's EGR valve may be momentarilyclosed. It is estimated that filter regeneration may require about tenminutes of time. During such a brief period of time, the EGR valve maybe closed. In such a case, filter regeneration may be coordinated withengine idle conditions.

In other embodiments, the engine 80 may be controlled such the EGR levelis actually increased during filter regeneration. In such a case, a fuelor fuel additive such as hydrogen gas may be utilized to stabilize theflame of the fuel-fired burner. Hydrogen gas may be supplied by either astorage tank or an onboard fuel reformer.

Along a similar line, operation of the engine 80, and its associatedcomponents, may be monitored to facilitate operation of the emissionabatement assemblies described herein. For example, in the case ofoperation of an emission abatement assembly that does not utilizesupplemental air (i.e., an airless burner such as the assemblies ofFIGS. 20 and 21), operation of the engine may be monitored so that, forexample, filter regeneration occurs at desired, predetermined engineoperating conditions. For example, in the case of an emission abatementassembly that does not utilize supplemental air (e.g., the assemblies ofFIGS. 20 and 21), it is desirable to perform filter regeneration in thepresence of exhaust gas which contains a relatively high oxygenconcentration. Such is generally the case when the engine 80 is underrelatively low load conditions such as when the engine 80 is operatingat idle or near idle conditions (e.g., 600-1,000 RPM depending on theengine).

As will herein be described in more detail below, there are a number ofways to determine when desirable, predetermined engine conditions existfor filter regeneration of an emission abatement assembly that does notutilize supplemental air. For example, a predetermined engine speedrange may be utilized in which case filter regeneration is onlyperformed if the engine is operating within a predetermined range ofengine speed. In such a case, the controller 76 may monitor output froman engine speed sensor 890 (see FIG. 8) or the like to determine enginespeed. It should be appreciated that the controller may communicate withthe engine speed sensor 890 directly, or may obtain the output from thesensor 890 from the engine control unit 78 via the CAN interface 314.

Moreover, a predetermined engine load range may be utilized to determinewhen desirable, predetermined engine conditions exist for filterregeneration of an emission abatement assembly that does not utilizesupplemental air. In such a case, filter regeneration is only performedif the engine is operating within the predetermined range of engineload. To do so, the controller 76 may first sense or otherwise determinecertain engine parameters (e.g., RPM, turbo boost, etcetera) and thenquery or otherwise access a preprogrammed engine load map to determinethe load on the engine. It should be appreciated that the controller 76may be preprogrammed with such an engine load map, or may obtain theengine load from an engine load map programmed in the engine controlunit 78 via the CAN interface 314.

In addition, exhaust mass flow from the engine 80 may be used todetermine when desirable, predetermined engine conditions exist forfilter regeneration of an emission abatement assembly that does notutilize supplemental air. For example, a predetermined exhaust mass flowrange may be utilized in which case filter regeneration is onlyperformed if the engine is operating within a predetermined range ofexhaust mass flow. In such a case, the controller 76 may monitor outputfrom a mass flow sensor 892 (see FIG. 8), such as a hot wire mass flowsensor, to determine exhaust mass flow. It should be appreciated thatthe controller 76 may communicate with the mass flow sensor 892directly, or may obtain the output from the sensor 892 from the enginecontrol unit 78 via the CAN interface 314. Alternatively, exhaust massflow may be calculated by the controller 76 in a conventional manner byuse of engine operation parameters such as engine RPM, turbo boostpressure, and intake manifold temperature (along with other knownparameters such as engine displacement). It should be appreciated thatthe controller 76 itself may calculate the mass flow, or it may obtainthe calculated mass flow from the engine control unit 78 via the CANinterface 314.

Referring now to FIG. 33, there is shown a control routine 850 forcontrolling regeneration an emission abatement assembly that does notutilize supplemental air (i.e., an airless emission abatement assembly).The routine 850 begins with step 852 in which the routine determines ifa request to startup the airless fuel-fired burner 20, 22 (i.e., aburner startup request) has been executed. It should be appreciated thata burner startup request may take many different forms including, forexample, a startup request generated by a software control routine inresponse to sensed, timed, or otherwise determined indication that oneof the particulate filters 24, 26 is in need of regeneration. Forexample, a sensor-based scheme, map-based scheme, or a timing-basedscheme may be utilized to generate a startup request. As such, in step852, if the control routine 850 detects a burner startup request, acontrol signal is generated and the routine 850 advances to step 854. Ifthe control routine 850 does not detect a burner startup request, theroutine 850 loops back to step 852 to continue monitoring for such arequest.

In step 854, the controller 76 determines if the engine 80 is operatingwithin predetermined engine conditions. For example, if a predeterminedengine speed range is being utilized, in which case filter regenerationis only performed if the engine is operating within a predeterminedrange of engine speed, the controller 76 monitors output from the enginespeed sensor 890 or otherwise determines engine speed. Thereafter, thecontroller 76 determines if the speed of the engine is within thepredetermined speed range. Alternatively, if a predetermined engine loadrange is being utilized, in which case filter regeneration is onlyperformed if the engine is operating within the predetermined range ofengine load, the controller 76 senses or otherwise determines certainengine parameters (e.g., RPM, turbo boost, etcetera) and thereafterqueries or otherwise accesses a preprogrammed engine load map todetermine the load on the engine. Thereafter, the controller 76determines if the load of the engine is within the predetermined rangeof engine load. Moreover, if a predetermined exhaust mass flow range isbeing utilized, in which case filter regeneration is only performed ifthe engine is operating within a predetermined range of exhaust massflow, the controller 76 senses, calculates, or otherwise determinesexhaust mass flow from the engine. Thereafter, the controller 76determines if the exhaust mass flow of the engine is within thepredetermined range of exhaust mass flow. Hence, in step 854, if thecontroller 76 determines that the engine 80 is operating withinpredetermined engine conditions, the control routine 850 advances tostep 856. However, if the engine is not operating within predeterminedengine conditions, the control routine 850 loops back to step 854 tocontinue monitoring the engine to determine when it is operating withinsuch conditions.

In step 856, the controller 76 commences filter regeneration.Specifically, the electronic controller 76 operates the fuel-firedburner 20, 22 to regenerate the particulate filter 24, 26 in any of thenumerous manners described herein. However, it should be appreciatedthat the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is operated without the assistance ofcombustion air (i.e., without the use of supplemental air supply such asfrom the air pump 90). As such, oxygen present in the engine exhaust gassustains combustion of the fuel delivered to the fuel-fired burner 20,22. Heat generated by the combustion of the fuel regenerates theparticulate filter 24, 26. Once filter regeneration is complete, thecontrol routine 850 ends.

It should be appreciated that the control routine 850 may also be usedto regenerate filters with the assistance supplemental air, if desired.It should also be appreciated that the control routine 850 may bemodified in a manner in which filter regeneration occurs even in theabsence of a startup request. For example, the controller 76 may beconfigured to regenerate one or both of the particulate filters 24, 26when the engine 80 is operating within predetermined engine conditionsirrespective of whether the filters 24, 26 are loaded to a predeterminedlimit. In such a way, the controller 76 can take advantage of any timeoxygen rich conditions are present in the exhaust gas.

Referring now to FIG. 35, another exemplary embodiments of an emissionabatement assembly 800 is shown. The assembly 800 includes a nozzle 802which extends into an exhaust conduit to inject fuel into a flow ofexhaust gas. The electrodes 48, 50 are positioned in a substantiallyvertical arrangement (as viewed in the orientation of the drawings).

A flame holder 636 may be positioned in a number of different positionsrelative to the electrodes 48, 50. For example, as shown in FIG. 35, theflame holder 636 may be positioned downstream of the nozzle 802, butupstream of the electrodes 48, 50. Alternatively, the flame holder 636may be positioned downstream of both the nozzle 802 and the electrodes48, 50. Moreover, the flame holder 632 may be designed in a concaveconfiguration (as shown in FIG. 35), or a convex configuration (notshown).

A flow diffuser 644 may be positioned upstream of the diesel oxidationcatalyst 608 and/or the filter substrate 60 to facilitate the mixing ofthe hot combustion gas from combustion zone proximate to the nozzle 802and the remaining exhaust gas, thus enhancing the temperaturedistribution across the inlet of diesel oxidation catalyst 608 and/orfilter substrate 60. The flow diffuser 644 may be embodied as any typeof flow diffuser. In an exemplary embodiment, the flow diffuser 644 maybe embodied as the any of the flow distributors 634 described above.

Referring now to FIG. 36, there is shown another exemplary embodiment ofthe fuel-fired burner 20, 22. The embodiment shown in FIG. 36 is similarto the embodiments previously described, with the same referencenumerals being used to designate similar components. The fuel-firedburner 20, 22 has been modified to reduce the exhaust gas flow throughthe combustion chamber 34. It has been found that such a modificationreduces (perhaps significantly) hydrocarbon and CO slip, while alsoreducing other emissions.

In essence, the flow of exhaust gas entering through the exhaust gasinlet port 36 is separated into two flows, one of which is advancedthrough the combustion chamber 34 (i.e., a combustion flow), the otherof which bypasses the combustion chamber 34 (i.e., a bypass flow). Assuch, exhaust gas flow through the combustion chamber 34 of thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 of FIG. 36 is reduced relative to the burnerof, for example, FIG. 5. As a result, the percentage of the exhaust gasflow bypassing the combustion chamber 34 (i.e., advancing through theopenings 42 of the shroud 44) is increased relative to the design ofFIG. 5.

As will herein be described in greater detail, the design of thecombustion chamber 34 may be altered to provide control of the exhaustgas flowing therethrough (i.e., control the velocity and direction ofexhaust gas flow through the combustion chamber). Moreover, componentssuch as diverter plates may also be used to control the exhaust gas flowin such a manner.

One exemplary manner of controlling the exhaust gas flow through thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 in such a manner is shown in FIG. 36. In thiscase, the combustion chamber 34 includes a generally annular shapedouter wall 902 having two wall halves 904, 906. The first wall half 904faces away from the exhaust gas inlet port 36, whereas the second wallhalf 906 faces toward the exhaust gas inlet port 36. As shown in FIG.36, the first wall half 904 has a number of the gas inlet openings 40defined therein. The collective surface areas of the gas inlet openings40 of the first wall half 904 define a first void area, whereas thecollective surface areas of the gas inlet openings of the second wallhalf 906 define a second void area. The second void area of the secondwall half 904 is less than the first void area of the first wall half.As such, a reduced portion of the exhaust gas entering the fuel-firedburner 20, 22 through the exhaust gas inlet 36 flows into the combustionchamber 34 relative to, for example, the design of the fuel-fired burnerof FIG. 5. As a result, the magnitude of the combustion flow (i.e., theflow of exhaust gas entering the combustion chamber 34) is reducedrelative to the design of FIG. 5. It should be appreciated that such aconfiguration not only reduces the magnitude of the exhaust gas enteringthe combustion chamber 34, but also reduces the velocity of the exhaustgas entering the combustion chamber 34 (relative to, for example, thedesign of FIG. 5). Moreover, such a configuration also reduces the flowof exhaust gas entering the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 through the exhaustgas inlet 36 that flows directly into the combustion chamber 34 (i.e.,through the wall half 906), and, as a result, is impinged upon the flamegenerated therein.

Referring now to FIG. 37, there is shown another embodiment of thefuel-fired burner 20, 22 in which the second wall half 906 of thecombustion chamber 34 is substantially devoid of the gas inlet openings40. For example, the collective surface areas of the gas inlet openingsof the second wall half 906 define a void area of zero. As a result,exhaust gas entering the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 through the exhaustgas inlet port 36 does not flow directly into the combustion chamber 34,and, as a result, is not impinged upon the flame generated therein.Rather, the combustion flow of exhaust gas enters the combustion chamber34 through the gas inlet openings 40 formed in the first wall half 904of the combustion chamber 34 (i.e., the surfaces that do not face theexhaust gas inlet 36). The balance of the flow of exhaust gas enteringthe exhaust gas inlet port 36 bypasses the combustion chamber 34.

It should be appreciated that the size and location of the gas inletopenings 40 on either wall half 904, 906 may be configured to generateany desired flow characteristics within the combustion chamber 34 (e.g.,velocity and direction).

Although the proportions of the separated flows (i.e., the combustionflow and the bypass flow) are described as being a function of the gasinlet openings 40 formed in the outer wall 902 of the combustion chamber34, the exhaust gas flow entering the exhaust gas inlet port 36 may beseparated in other ways. For example, a plate or “patch” may be securedto the combustion chamber 34 to block any number of gas inlet openings40 that may already exist in the chamber 34. An example of such a plate912 is shown in FIG. 44. The plate 912 may be positioned around theouter wall 902 of the combustion chamber 34 of the burner design shownin, for example, FIG. 5. The seam 918 created when the two ends 914 ofthe plate 912 are secured together faces the exhaust gas inlet port 36.As shown in FIG. 45, when the plate 912 is installed in such a manner,the exhaust gas flow entering the exhaust gas inlet port 36 is impingedupon an area of the plate 912 (shown generally as the shaded area 916)which is devoid of holes thereby preventing the exhaust gas flow frombeing impinged directly on the flame within the combustion chamber 34.

By controlling the flow of exhaust gas through the combustion chamber 34stability of the flame generated by the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 may beenhanced. Indeed, it has been found that when the velocity of the flameis greater than the velocity of the exhaust gas moving through thechamber 34, a stable flame may be more readily maintained. To thecontrary, when the velocity of the exhaust gas moving through thechamber 34 is greater than the flame velocity, instability of the flamemay occur.

As alluded to above, the size, number, and location of the gas inletopenings 40 may be predetermined to produce a desired flow through thecombustion chamber. In an exemplary embodiment, the fuel-fired burner20, 22 is configured such that about 70% of the exhaust gas enteringthrough the inlet 36 is advanced through the combustion chamber 34 (withthe balance of the exhaust gas bypassing the chamber 34). In anotherexemplary embodiment, the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is configured suchthat about 50%-70% of the exhaust gas entering through the inlet 36 isadvanced through the combustion chamber 34 (with the balance of theexhaust gas bypassing the chamber 34). In yet another exemplaryembodiment, the fuel-fired burner 20, 22 is configured such that lessthan 50% of the exhaust gas entering through the inlet 36 is advancedthrough the combustion chamber 34 (with the balance of the exhaust gasbypassing the chamber 34). Flows other than these exemplary flowarrangements are contemplated.

As alluded to above, in lieu of, or in addition to, removal of the gasinlet openings 40 from the outer wall 902 of the combustion chamber 34,the exhaust gas flow entering the gas inlet port 36 may be separatedinto a desired combustion flow and bypass flow in numerous differentways. For example, a number of diverter plates may be used to direct adesired amount of exhaust gas flow through the combustion chamber 34while directing the balance of the flow to bypass the chamber. Examplesof such plates 910 are shown in FIGS. 38-43, although otherconfigurations are contemplated. It should be appreciated that suchplates 910 may be configured to direct the desired portion of the flowthrough the combustion chamber 34 while also preventing an increase inbackpressure within the exhaust system.

The size, shape, and/or location of the openings 42 defined in thebypass shroud 44 may also be altered to generate desired flowcharacteristics. For example, the size, shape, and/or location of theopenings 42 may be configured to accommodate for “hot spots” or “coolspots” on the upstream face of the filter substrate 60. Indeed, thermalanalysis may be performed on the filter substrate 60 to determine wheresuch hot spots or cool spots exist. The size, shape, and/or location ofthe openings 42 defined in the bypass shroud 44 may then be alteredbased on such an analysis.

For example, the size of the openings 42 upstream (relative to exhaustgas flow) of a cool spot may be reduced. This increases the temperatureon the cool spot during filter regeneration by reducing the amount ofexhaust gas flowing through the cool spot.

Conversely, the size of the openings 42 upstream (relative to exhaustgas flow) of a hot spot may be increased. This decreases the temperatureon the hot spot during filter regeneration by increasing the amount ofexhaust gas flowing through the hot spot.

As a result, it is contemplated to construct a bypass shroud 44 thatincludes a number of different sized openings 42 to accommodate varyingsurface temperatures on the upstream surface of the filter substrate 60.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications andalternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and has herein be described indetail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent tolimit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on thecontrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arisingfrom the various features of the apparatus, systems, and methodsdescribed herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of theapparatus, systems, and methods of the present disclosure may notinclude all of the features described yet still benefit from at leastsome of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in theart may readily devise their own implementations of apparatus, systems,and methods that incorporate one or more of the features of the presentdisclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure.

For example, it should be appreciated that the order of many of thesteps of the control routines described herein may be altered. Moreover,many steps of the control routines may be performed in parallel with oneanother.

1. A method of monitoring ash buildup in a particulate filter of anemission abatement assembly, the method comprising the steps of:providing an emission abatement assembly comprising a fuel-fired burnerpositioned upstream of a particulate filter, determining a pressure dropacross the particulate filter as a function of exhaust mass flow from anengine to trigger filter regeneration, experimentally generating a datatable by mapping pressure drops across the particulate filter as afunction of exhaust mass flow at various particulate loading, storingthe data table in an electronic controller, determining a currentpressure drop across the particulate filter, determining a current massflow, querying the data table to retrieve an experimentally createdlimit value that corresponds to the current exhaust mass flow, comparingthe current pressure drop to the limit value, and commencing aregenerating cycle if the current pressure drop exceeds the limit value,selectively operating the fuel-fired burner to regenerate theparticulate filter to remove soot accumulated therein, generating acontrol signal subsequent to the regenerating step, and determining alevel of ash accumulation in the particulate filter in response togeneration of the control signal.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the step of generating an error signal if the level of ashaccumulation in the particulate filter exceeds a predetermined limit. 3.The method of claim 2, further comprising the step of communicating theerror signal to an engine control unit of an engine.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining the level of ash accumulation comprisesdetermining a pressure drop across the particulate filter.
 5. The methodof claim 4, further comprising the step of generating an error signal ifthe pressure drop across the particulate filter exceeds a predeterminedlimit.
 6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step ofcommunicating the error signal to an engine control unit of an engine.7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the level of ashaccumulation comprises monitoring output from a pressure sensor.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, including generating the control signal in responseto an end of a regeneration cycle, wherein determining the end of theregeneration cycle comprises determining when fuel ceases to be suppliedto the fuel-fired burner.
 9. The method of claim 1, including supplyingfuel to the fuel-fired burner through a fuel inlet nozzle, supplyingpower to a pair of electrodes to generate a spark in a gap between thepair of electrodes, and advancing the fuel through the gap to be ignitedby the spark.
 10. The method of claim 9, including enclosing acombustion chamber within a burner housing of the fuel-fired burner,directing exhaust gas from an engine to an exhaust gas inlet port formedwithin the housing, and igniting the fuel within the combustion chamber.11. The method of claim 10, generating a flow of pressurized air, andadvancing the flow of pressurized air to a combustion air inlet of thefuel-fired burner to provide additional oxygen to sustain a combustionof the fuel.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the particulate filtercomprises a filter substrate positioned within a filter housing, andincluding securing the filter housing to the burner housing, directingexhaust gas flow from an outlet of the burner housing into an inlet ofthe filter housing to remove particulates, and exhausting treatedexhaust gas into the atmosphere through an exhaust pipe.
 13. The methodof claim 12, including securing a collector housing of a collector tothe filter housing and advancing the treated exhaust gas through thecollector prior to being exhausted to the atmosphere.
 14. The method ofclaim 1, providing a control unit including a control unit housingdefining an interior chamber, and including positioning the electroniccontroller within the control unit housing, and controlling activationof the fuel-fired burners via control signals generated by theelectronic controller.
 15. The method of claim 14, including positioningan air pump within the interior chamber such that a pump air inlet is influid communication with the interior chamber, controlling the air pumpvia control signals generated by the control unit to selectively supplypressurized air to a combustion air inlet of the fuel-fired burner, anddrawing filtered air into the interior chamber through a housing airinlet.
 16. A method of monitoring ash buildup in a particulate filter ofan emission abatement assembly, the method comprising the steps of:providing an emission abatement assembly comprising a fuel-fired burneroperable to generate heat which oxidizes soot trapped in a particulatefilter, determining a pressure drop across the particulate fitter as afunction of exhaust mass flow from an engine to trigger filterregeneration, experimentally generating a data table by mapping pressuredrops across the particulate filter as a function of exhaust mass flowat various particulate loadings, storing the data table in an electroniccontroller, determining a current pressure drop across the particulatefilter. determining a current mass flow, querying the data table toretrieve an experimentally created limit value that corresponds to thecurrent exhaust mass flow, comparing the current pressure drop to thelimit value, and commencing a regenerating cycle if the current pressuredrop exceeds the limit value, determining an end of a regeneration cycleof the particulate filter which comprises determining when fuel ceasesto be supplied to the fuel-fired burner, and generating a control signalin response thereto, and determining a level of ash accumulation in theparticulate filter in response to generation of the control signal. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining the level of ashaccumulation in the particulate filter comprises determining a pressuredrop across the particulate filter.
 18. The method of claim 16, furthercomprising the step of generating an error signal if the level of ashaccumulation in the particulate filter exceeds a predetermined limit.19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of communicatingthe error signal to an engine control unit of an engine.
 20. The methodof claim 16, including supplying fuel to the fuel-fired burner through afuel inlet nozzle, supplying power to a pair of electrodes to generate aspark in a gap between the pair of electrodes, and advancing the fuelthrough the gap to be ignited by the spark.
 21. The method of claim 20,including enclosing a combustion chamber within a burner housing of thefuel-fired burner, directing exhaust gas from an engine to an exhaustgas inlet port formed within the housing, igniting the fuel within thecombustion chamber, generating a flow of pressurized air, and advancingthe flow of pressurized air to a combustion air inlet of the fuel-firedburner to provide additional oxygen to sustain a combustion of the fuel.22. The method of claim 21, wherein the particulate filter comprises afilter substrate positioned within a filter housing, and includingsecuring the filter housing to the burner housing, directing exhaust gasflow from an outlet of the burner housing into an inlet of the filterhousing to remove particulates, and exhausting treated exhaust gas intothe atmosphere through an exhaust pipe.
 23. The method of claim 16,providing a control unit including a control unit housing defining aninterior chamber, and including positioning the electronic controllerwithin the control unit housing, and controlling activation of thefuel-fired burner with the electronic controller.
 24. The method ofclaim 23, including positioning an air pump within the interior chambersuch that a pump air inlet is in fluid communication with the interiorchamber, controlling the air pump via control signals generated by thecontrol unit to selectively supply pressurized air to a combustion airinlet of the fuel-fired burner, and drawing filtered air into theinterior chamber through a housing air inlet.